Ōmo
by Uzumakiflame
Summary: "We talked. That's what lovers do." Sasuke inhaled. "And in the background, I could hear someone screaming as if they were being tortured. H-he told me to hold on and I guess he covered the phone because his voice got really muffled. And he said 'shut him up.'" His eyes teared up. "And all of a sudden there was this popping sound...And I couldn't hear the screams anymore." Narusasu
1. Paradise

**Ōmo**

 **This story is going to be a brutal journey of love, heartbreak, crime, murder….well maybe I should just tag these things.**

 **Narusasu, crime, murder, drugs, angst, mpreg, children, Naruto is mean, but not to Sasuke, Naruto is really sweet and his weakness is his family, major character deaths, Naruto is a drug lord, modern times Japan, tribes of Africa, it'll all be explained, history without the sins of humans whited out, author attempts to glorify all people, war, gang violence, cartels, poverty, brutal murders, no seriously, some murders are very detailed, boyxboy, wise Sasuke, motherly Sasuke, bombings, hurt/comfort, RACIST TERMS, additional tags added later**

 **This story may be controversial and I am in no way trying to spark any political, theoretical, or even philosophical debates. I am simply trying to understand something in the eyes of other people as I always do with my stories. So here goes nothing.**

 **Paradise**

 _People call me Lord, so I need my part played well._

 _If I order a man to be killed,_

 _I expect him to die that same day._

 _-Naruto "Ōmo" Namikaze_

 _October 11, 1983- October 12, 2025_

Fuck anyone who ever said a drug cartel doesn't operate the same way a monarchical kingdom does. Fuck 'em all. Fuck the people. Fuck the president and all his men. Fuck the police who degrade them. Fuck the victims and their families- because they're the ones not giving the cartel its credit.

The cartel is too similar to the kingdom. The cartel was seated by the king as he made his orders. The cartel tasted the king's food. The cartel performed when the king was bored. There was nothing in the world closer to a king than a cartel was. In fact…the people and the president and the men and the police and the victims and their families had no idea, but….

The cartel _was_ the king.

The cartel ran the world like God ran the religious; like the devil ran the murderers and rapists; like drugs ran a fiend. It kept power like a king through fear, intimidation, and bribery. It kept order with a system. A system of more than 200 men. A system that ran everything from the banks to the police to government officials. It had order and nothing could tear down a structure so well built.

 _There are mules_. They weren't big in the cartel, but they weren't exactly small either. They did the dirty work. They smuggled the drugs and weapons across the border with the same subtleness as a crowd control gunman. They were the working class. They were the backbone even if no one admitted it.

 _There are falcons._ These men watched the street like their own prey. They were the eyes and ears. Patrolling the streets, protecting the supply. Watching the police and drug dealers with both eyes and reporting back to the big men like foot soldiers. They watched the surveillance that had no idea it was being watched.

 _There are hitmen._ The first infantry division of the cartel. There isn't a war unless they declare one. These men were the enforces. Intimidators. Gunmen. They executed the kidnappings, assassinations, or just plain executions. They didn't carry hands, they carried guns and even those didn't get dirty. This group was the largest group of any drug cartel.

 _Every cartel has a pilot._ Or bomber. Whatever they wanted to be called. The pilots carried drugs across the border via cargo plane and had a _kicker_ push the drugs out if the cargo hatch.

 _Among the most important were the soapmakers_. The soap makers were a large group of three kinds of men. 1) The chemists who were hired to manufacture cocaine. The silent angels on the plant, cooking the powder for the pivoters. 2) The members of the cartel that stored drugs in soap packages to be shipped overseas. These guys were the original dirty money launderers. They cleaned drugs until they didn't look like drugs. Literally. And then there was the most vicious of the soapmakers.

3) the cleaners. The clean up crew. The crew that disposed of a dead body. In the sea, shipped to a love one, in a sinkhole, the soapmakers handled a dead body like a loose end. Sometimes, loose ends were tied so well, it was almost like they never existed.

 _But they weren't as brutal as the butchers. The blood drinkers._ They had no souls; they were never met. They only ever stared into the eyes of the leader. These men had every choice in the world, and they chose to be loyal members of the cartel. They were called _butchers_ because they were involved with chopping up the bodies. With or without gloves.

 _The commercializer_ involved himself in real estate and organized activities. _The treasurer_ worked with businesses and launderders to fiscally move around income.

 _The secretary_. The right hand man or woman of the drug lord. They were official cartel members in charge of records, correspondence, minutes of meetings between two cartel members who didn't regularly do business together, and other affairs. They almost had the same bounty on their heads as the lieutenant and kingpin himself.

And the cartel always had the _Camel. The original OG members usually between the ages of 40 and 60._ They often are called original gangsters because their lifespan is surprising and only age is an official initiation. These men had been in cartel business before the kingpin even knew about the life.

There were so many other roles in the cartel kingdom. Some the public didn't know about. Some that got the hands bloody. And some that allowed workers to sit back, never worrying about getting their own hands wet.

And everyone worked under the _Big Man. The Kingpin. Bigwig. Top Dog. Boss. Honcho. Captain. Ōmo._ The boss of bosses. This person either lived in the jungle or out in the open and was so deeply tied into politics. They had bounties upon their heads like no other because they controlled the drug trade. And when you control the drug trade, you control the world. And only one in history had enough power to be called Lord.

The static of a recorder blared through the living room and Sasuke leaned forward grabbing a lighter and one cigar. He lit the tight roll of dried tobacco leaves and inhaled deeply, slowly, his system responding to the smoke; and he felt his lungs being wrapped by a warm blanket. Taking small, slow draws of the cigar, he felt delighted, like he had never felt before. He almost hated the way his lungs could be black from all these years, but everything about the habit intoxicated him. And he almost loved it.

With a small smile, he leaned forward and stretched his arm out, offering the cabbage leaf to the interviewer. The short man shook his head. "No, thank you, Namikaze-san."

Sasuke shrugged and gave the man a look as if to say 'more for me then.' He leaned back into the soft cushions and took another inhale. "Naruto hated these things too." He whispered.

The mention of the man's name made the interviewer look up and Sasuke sighed, the words coming back to him.

 _Make me the bad guy, Sasuke. Make me seem horrible so you and the kids can live free._

"Yeah." He whispered even though the man had said nothing. "You know, the first time I had one of these, I was nineteen. And...and I was pregnant."

A tense silence seated itself on the coffee table, staring at the men, and a look of guilt crashed upon Sasuke. "Yeah." another whispered confirmation. The guilt sat not on his chest but inside his brain. What he had done he could not un-do. The guilt was like gasoline in his guts. His insides died slowly in the toxicity, needing no more than a spark to set it ablaze. The fire burnt him out so badly there was nothing left but a shell, an outline of a person.

"Yeah." Sasuke leaned forward and put out the cigar, watching it's ash crumble in the tray. "I was stressed. I know my baby is healthy and there are no effects of my habits in him, but it doesn't stop the guilt of knowing that I put his life in danger because of my own selfishness."

Finally, as if broken out of his stupor, the man across the table spoke. "You were stressed?"

Sasuke eyed him and then grunted. "Naruto was gone for two weeks during my first pregnancy and I called to check on him one day. I missed him and apparently he missed me because he stayed on the phone." There was a small smile on his face as if he were remembering the contents of conversation. "We talked. That's what lovers do. They talk." Sasuke inhaled. "And in the background, away from the phone, I could hear someone screaming."

It grew quiet. Sasuke looked at the man, who had now paled, and continued. "Just kept screaming and the screams got louder and louder. And the man screaming was being tortured. I knew that. I think I must have sighed and Naruto told me to hold on. And I think he covered the speaker of the phone, you know the part you talk in? Yeah, I think he covered that because his voice got really muffled and he said 'shut him up.'"

Sasuke's eyes teared up and the other man got increasingly uncomfortable with where the conversation was going. Sasuke went on anyway. He was the one that had to deal with it.

"And all of a sudden there was this popping noise. The loudest spark of gunpowder and metal intermixing and letting loose." Sasuke shrugged and looked away. "And I couldn't hear the screams anymore."

Silence was all they knew to speak. The only language that gave a sense of understanding between the two.

"It was the first time I had dealt with the killings head on. And I smoked."

The man put his hand on a button, hesitant to push. He looked to Sasuke and lifted his glasses with another hand. "Would you mind if I record our conversation, Namikaze-san?"

Sasuke just shrugged, reaching forward to grab the unfinished blunt.

The static returned and with difficulty. "My name is Ito Akihiko, I am a reporter for _Yomiuri Shimbun._ I am sitting here with Namikaze Sasuke, who is the widower of Naruto "Ōmo" Namikaze, leader of the Namikaze cartel. Namikaze-san has agreed to do this interview with me on this day of January 17, 2027 and is willing to explain how he survived "Ōmo." Go ahead, please."

He looked to Sasuke, who had been confused by the words. "Uh. Where do I start?"

"From the first occurrences. Tell us about Naruto's past. Tell us why he was the way he was."

Sasuke breathed deeply. Naruto Namikaze was so smitten with him that there was nothing he didn't know about the man. Naruto told him everything. But still…

 _Do you want the kids to always face the harassment of being my children? Do you want to constantly be labeled as something horrible because of me? Then make me the bad guy, Sasuke. Make it so that you and the kids had no choice but the be parts of my life. Make it look like an accident that you fell in love with me._

He inhaled deeply once again, trying to relieve himself. And when he had gotten a hold of what to say, he grabbed it with severity, his knuckles cold, red, and yellow. "There is nothing in this world that made Naruto the way he was. Not the way he grew up, not the way he was raised. Not the neighborhood or the poverty or the crime. Naruto was a monster by default and nearly took pleasure in everything he dealt. Naruto was so good at being a monster that he looked like a human."

* * *

 _Camp Kinser, US Military Base_

 _Okinawa, Japan_

 _May 1947_

 _1200 Hours_

"Linda. Linda Patterson."

At the call of her name, the woman leaned away from her patient to the front of the tent. There by the front, tensed almost as militarily as Uncle Sam himself, was lieutenant general George G. Smith. Upon seeing her innocent blue eyes and that flick of a blond ponytail, the general nodded, a signal to come, and left the tent to wait.

"Uh oh." Linda turned to look at the African American woman that was already smiling at her. "Someone's lookin' to git in trouble."

And in return she smiled too because she knew that this was just play and she could play with friends that way. A giggle left her rosy lips, causing the other nurse to laugh too. "Oh stop, Betsy. Ah 'spose he's just lookin for somethin to fuss about. Mind taking care of my Joey for a while?"

Betsy shrugged. "Got nothin better to do anyway." The woman looked over Joey, Linda's patient, her eyes stopping only for a moment at the stump that should have been his left leg. And then she crossed her arms and leaned on one side. "I've met you before, Joey."

Linda watched a rose paint Joey's face when he looked toward Betsy and she gasped only a little. There was something there, but Joey spoke before she could decipher the code.

"I'd imagine you'd remember my face, miss Virginia. Like I remembered yours."

The woman smiled brighter and went to tighten her apron. And that made Joey turn redder. "I'd expect you to take care of yourself more, farm boy. Don't want to be seeing you in here a lot."

Joey smiled. "I always request this base when I get hurt. You're always here."

And Linda, who felt long forgotten, clenched her lips tight to hide her smile. She saw it then and would be damned if someone stopped it. A romance brewing between a white American private first class and a Negro woman was something that should be cherished, but all the more kept to themselves and the people who understood.

With ease, Linda closed the curtain and blinked her soft tears away, heading out of the tent with a new attitude.

The general was still waiting outside and upon seeing her, he began walking, obviously expecting her to follow. She did and he began.

"I am very busy and I know you are too, so I'll just get to the point of this meeting. We have someone we need you to spend a few years healing."

The southern woman's blond eyebrows lowered in confusion. "Why not just bring em own into the tent?"

There was a hesitant reply before the general stopped in his tracks. His face was solemn and Linda felt like she was going to be told she might have wanted to sit down for the words. "He's a Jap."

The word coming from his lips made bile rise in her throat and her eyes burned as it went back down. Where did humans get off on hating other people because of how they looked? Hating people because they didn't understand them? Calling them words with enough hate to make the devil himself flinch?

She must have looked confused because the man cleared his throat as if to elaborate. "I don't want him to feel as though he is as important as our boys. So we placed him in his own shabby tent. If that makes you feel better."

She shook her head even more. "If that makes me feel better?"

"Yes because of who he is."

She realized that her silence was confused for hate. "Well, general, Ah spose his blood was red just like any other man's in my tent. Why would Ah not want to take care of him?"

If Smith seemed offended, he didn't show, but instead, led her to the tent where the man was being held. He lay on the bed, coughing profusely, his skin sickly, his arms….

Linda turned to ask the general for a name, but blinked in surprise when she realized he'd been gone. Slowly, she made her way to the man, trying to assess his every injury before she made eye contact.

Why would she want to offend someone?

The man had odd scabs over his legs, arms, and torso. His left eye was gone and had been replaced by a rose shaped hole. His upper lip had been halfway peeled off and Linda moved back in horror. She blinked rapidly and even that wasn't enough to stop the onslaught of tears that violated her happiness.

Her patient was no soldier. Or prisoner of war.

He was a Hiroshima Bombing survivor. The woman turned away, speaking quietly, panicking.

"Ah can't do this." She whispered. This man had been bombed by her country and survived. He wasn't a soldier. He was just a citizen. He was probably a doctor. Or a lawyer. Or even an engineer. "Ah can't handle these kind of injuries. Ah'm no psychiatrist."

"Ko- konnichiwa."

The hoarse voice cut off her own rant and she turned startled to the man, makeup and tears running down her face.

"Ah'm sorry?"

The wounded man stared at her, confused by her tears until he finally spoke. "American woman." The broken English made her smile and she bet she looked so silly.

"You fix me?"

"How do you know English?" She asked instead, moving closer and grabbing a few healing ointments.

He looked away and whispered so softly, she almost couldn't hear. "Linguist."

The woman looked up sharply. So he wasn't just a citizen. He was a Japanese imperial army linguist. But still, he was a human and no one deserved to be hurt in such a way.

"What's your name, honey?"

The soldier looked back at her, confused by the new term. "It is Maso."

"Mou-so." She sounded the word out on her tongue and realized it didn't taste so bad. "Hm. Maso. Well, Maso, is your blood still red?"

Another confusing thing said by this American. "Uh. Yes, I believe. Yes."

"You still got flesh, don't cha?"

"Yes."

"Can you still cry? And laugh? Can you talk and have conversations with people?" Her eyes narrowed in a feigned seriousness and the last question to leave her lips was "Can you still shit in a toilet?"

The man stared in bewilderment, before his lips quivered. She smirked and looked away to give Maso this luxury, but whispered only what she could hear. "Got chu."

He laughed. He laughed so hard that tears left his eyes. Linda was always like that. She had that effect to make even the most down people laugh. She was a nurse, yes, in the nurse corps. But really, she was just a young woman that loved to laugh more than kids and was so boisterous that it hurt.

"Yes, nurse. I can. Those questions, they are personal, no? But I can."

Linda's smile grew soft and faint, like the rubbery pink scar going down his chest. "Well, Mr. Maso, I believe you are human."

He looked at her then, his laughter died out, and finally understood what the questions were for. They made him feel real. Despite the rubbery skin; despite the lost eye; despite the lung cancer; he was indeed a human.

And he said something to her that made her and he smile. "Thank you, American nurse."

She giggled and grabbed some ointment. "Call me Linda. Now, there ain't nothing that need uh fix, cause you sure look human. One uh the beautiful ones, you know?"

* * *

 _1500 hours_

"A'm tellin you, Betsy, ah never met someone so hurt, but so understanding and nice as he."

The other woman's knees went up to her chin. "You better not let one of our boys hear that. They'd vilify you like Jesus."

Linda looked away, her eyes boring holes into the carpet. "ah know, ah just wish…"

"..."

"..."

"You wish?"

"Wish ah understood you more." Linda's eyes filled with tears as she looked back up. She had no idea the troubles of her best friend's life. She had no idea if it were hard being a Black women in America and Maso made her realize that. She knew nothing of her good friend. And she felt just like the rest of them. The rest of her own kind that judged before they understood. "Ah wish ah knew your troubles, but ah can't walk a mile in your shoes. Ah can't."

Betsy looked away, saddened now. "It ain't all bad. I love myself and you should too. Don't hurt yourself for the mistakes of other people."

Linda blinked. "Thank you for that." She laughed in a pathetic nature. "Ah have no reason to whine. My life isn't a quarter as hard as yours."

Betsy smirked, trying to find a different subject to speak on. Because really, it was hard. But why should anyone else know that? "Maybe you're just emotional cause you're in love."

Her teeth bared in amusement and hidden excitement and she leaned forward to smack her friend's leg. "Betsy! Don't say such things. It's only ban three hours."

* * *

 _2315 hours_

When the camp was asleep and only a few soldiers were guarding the borders, Linda found herself traveling back to Maso's tent with better healing supplies for the next day.

And to her surprise, the wounded man had been sitting up as far as his injuries would let him. In his hand was a book that was closed instantly upon hearing her small patter of footsteps.

She blinked abruptly at him. "Sorry to bother ya. Just wanted to bring some supplies over so ah wouldn't bother myself first thing tomorrow."

He looked away from her, his slanted eye watching his book with thought. Linda felt her stomach drop; it could only mean he wasn't interested in having a conversation. Or worse. Why would he want to speak with an enemy. Her own men bombed his country. They killed children and women, and people who didn't care about the war. They stole parents as parents were stolen years ago at the US naval base of Pearl Harbor. They killed Japanese citizens as American citizens were killed on that wintry December day.

Her eyes trailed over his wounds. The scabs and the missing eye and the lip that couldn't be used properly. Not to mention the onslaught of radiation that would build up in his organs for years just to kill him early.

They killed people who didn't even die.

Linda blinked. _That damn war,_ she thought. _Those damn bombs._

She remembered the day she read on it.

 _First Atomic Bomb Dropped on Japan; Missile Is Equal to 20,000 Tons of TNT; Truman Warns Foe of a 'Rain of Ruin'..._

 _At 10:45 o'clock this morning, a statement by the President was issued at the White House that sixteen hours earlier- about the time that citizens on the Eastern seaboard were sitting down to their Sunday suppers- an American plane had dropped the single atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, an important army center._

Why would he want to speak to a woman of a country that could have killed his parents, or his brothers, sisters? Children?

"Ah'm sorry."

A black eye looked up. She wondered if it had always been like that; if it was hereditary. She wondered if the bombing had done that. But that eye squinted in confusion and the wondering did not last.

"Par...don?" He asked in that same broken English that introduced them.

She turned so her tears were not visible. "Ah said ah'm sorry...for what they did to you. And your country. For the bombings and the people that it killed."

Maso said nothing in return and if he were shocked, he didn't show it. The only thing that urged her to go on was his eye, that told he was interested in this.

"Ah know ah have never hurt anyone, but you must think I hate you like the rest of em. I hear what the soldiers say about you and your people. They talk about your skin…"

She sat down as if she needed a moment and breather from the oppression that belonged to him.

She looked up to him, watching him put his head down in shame, watching everything that he knew about himself become a hate.

But still, she needed to get this guilt off her chest and apologize for the actions of others.

"They call you 'yellowman' like there's something wrong with the color of your skin. When they call you yellow, Americans….we ain't sposed to think of the sun and sunflowers or anything so beautifully golden, it makes us cry. The propaganda makes us think of a sick yellow, makes us think of horrible things like the yellow jacket, you know, the stinging wasp?"

Still, Maso did not open his mouth and he did not look up.

"They call you all Japs. It's short for Japanese, but somehow along this war, it became derogatory. It was almost like you had to spit the word out in a sentence. But that's how it was back home. 'those Japs are joining the Axis forces. Did you hear what those Japs did in Hawaii?' They call you a color and a word as if the devil himself made you."

She sighed, not exactly knowing where she was going with such a topic, but not exactly knowing how to stop.

"My best friend." She whispered. "My best friend is a….they call her 'nigger.'"

It was then that beady black eye looked up in surprise. And his mouth opened wider than the rubbery scab on his chin.

What a term. And what a surprise. For America to fight a war and not even treat their own citizens like people.

And now that secret was out and Linda was so guilty that she didn't even care.

"Her life is so much harder than mine and ah have a guilt as if ah brought her to America. As if ah made her ancestors slaves. As if ah won't allow her to get paid the way we do. She tells me that ah'm the sweetest one she knows, but the hate and the racism still doesn't cease to exist. Ah just want you to know that ah know nothing of your oppression and ah shouldn't be the one cryan."

She looked to him, who was now looking to her. "But ah am sorry for what they call you and Betsy. Sorry that I don't even understand your oppression enough to apologize."

They sat quietly for a long while. Linda felt as if she had gotten the entire world and all its burdens off her chest, so she was not subdued. She was not fearful of his reply nor was she in a hurry to leave that tent. Her eyes did not leave his own because she was determined for him not to hate her.

"Iiisss stu..pid, no?"

She blinked, confused. But then he continued and the burden of having a one sided conversation was no more.

"The fuss that we all make about skin as if it will mean something when we die. I myself have went through the great war with the same thoughts as you. Why have I been drafted for a war when I do not feel offended? Why must I be called yellow monkey when my blood runs as red as yours? It just makes no sense. All this hate that is not really hate, but a lack of understanding and an abundance of fear. I have seen the way America treats its people. Its own Black citizens and it disgusts me to a great extent. And I have seen the way we treat other minority groups that live in our country, such as the Chinese and Korean. Why create a war with others if we have not defeated the one with ourselves?"

Linda nodded at the ideology.

"You, American woman, do not have a reason or right to apologize. And it is not said to be rude. But you cannot apologize for my burdens or your friend's. Those are what we will deal with on our own. And although I see a good heart in you, these things you will never understand, no matter your sympathy."

Another nod and they grew quiet once more. She'd always been a sympathetic woman, but she could not apologize again. Because then she would sound like a record player. So instead, she whispered.

"Linda. That's my name. Linda."

And Maso nodded as if he would accept this. And he smiled a little. "Maso. It means twin."

She wanted to ask more. About his name and origin and why he was called that, but sure knew that staying in his test any longer would incite questions in her soldiers.

She crossed her arms in embarrassment. "Ah should go now. But first thing tomorrow, ah promise to be here."

* * *

 _0900 hours_

"It's mighty dark in here." She smiled and pointed to a tent wall as Maso leaned up. "I'll ask the general about putting a window here if you take a while to heal."

Maso smiled sheepishly at the suggestion, resting his torso on both his arms. "Thank you, but no. I enjoy my privacy in this camp. Enemy, no?"

Instead of pondering and extending that unwanted conversation of what the world ought to be versus what it currently was, Linda raised her arms goofily in the air.

"You need sunlight to heal!"

And he smiled in amusement at her childlike mannerisms. "It is alright. I get just enough when you come in." And she almost blushed, but…. "When you open the flap just for a second, I can see the sun, and then I know that I am healing well." Yeah….

Instead of shuffling awkwardly, the 23 year old rested her hands on her hips. "Ain't no lyin in that. Well, how you feelin this mornin, Maso?"

For a moment, his eyes fleeted away, and his smile faltered.

"Uh uh uh. Ah spect you to be honest with me cause ah'm only here to help you."

He hesitated, but spoke in a whisper of shame. "My back has begun to burn more than my legs and my eye…" he touched the corner of the hole that was once his eye and raised his fingers toward her, showing some kind of light grey liquid. "It has been leaking a lot. Very irritable in my sleep."

Linda nodded, taking in his words for her study. "Alright. Let's get that Ah fixed up first thing."

She began searching through her supplies when she heard a small chortle from Maso. A muffled laugh. A laugh that should not have been heard. But a laugh no less.

She turned with an amused grin, her blue eyes shining like the world was at peace. "Whut's funny, Mr. Maso?"

The "u" was thick in what and he giggled again. "I have never heard American accent like yours. It's funny, no?"

Linda got her supplies and stood with a joking huff. "That's a good ole Texan accent for ya."

"Texan?" He questioned with a raised brow.

"Put your head back please. Ah'm gonna clean it." Maso did as told and Linda began to observe his small bony orbit. And to loosen the mood, she began to talk about things a lot more lighter and bearing than why this eye was missing.

"Texas, my home town where ah grew up. Ah'd reckon you want to learn more about me to trust me."

Maso smiled slightly and saw her plan; to focus on happier times so that he would not fall to pieces. "Yes."

"Well, ah was born June 27, 1924. That's what momma called the roaring twenties. Except, they whatn't really roaring for us. Momma was a housewife and daddy was a cotton farmer.

The year ah was born, the boll weevil started messin with the cotton. And daddy had to sell the farm and buy a new one in Western Texas."

"Boll weevil?" Maso asked, clearly confused on what it was.

Linda smiled and twisted her body so that she could closely observe the short eyelids. "Small brown beetle that feeds on cotton. Fed on our cotton and ran us away. I don't 'member much cause I was only an infant, but momma says it was a troubled time with empty stomachs and dry mouths. Didn't have much money to live off after that.

But I always found somethin to smile about as a child. I was an only child, momma cleaned all day, and daddy worked on that farm, but I found a way to entertain myself. Climbed trees, played by the creek." She giggled. "Collected bugs in jars."

A memory called upon her and the woman cleared her throat. "All clean. Let's get these bandages wrapped around that head of yours."

She laid out a few bandages, trying to find the right length that would go around his head three times. It took some time with moving between wrapping his head and adding more cloth, but eventually his head was wrapped.

She ordered him to turn around and when he did, her throat clumped at the sight of the pink sores on his back.

"Wait just a minute. Ah'm gonna have to look deep in my supplies for the right ointment."

She did just that, searching through her box as she continued her tale. "Daddy didn't make me start doing anything serious until the Dust bowl. Now of course, the great depression didn't bother us much. We were already poor as poor could be. But we had moved to Western Texas and that was right in the middle of the Dust bowl.

We had a big drought and I didn't know until ah went to the creek one day and it was gone. We had severe dust storms like nothing Ah saw before. High winds and choking dust drove us away. Killed our neighbors. We went on to California and it ain't get no better there."

Linda shook her head in shame of her past and grabbed an ointment. She walked back the man. "Might sting a little, but bear with me. But yeah. Moved on to California and it ain't get no better. They called daddy and us 'okies.' Guess there was something wrong with migratin and bein poor. We all worked. Momma, daddy, and me. Trying to make a livin for ourselves. I hated it. I hated every minute of it. I ain't care what they thought or didn't think of me. But daddy did and he made us work to make us rich. To make us not Okies."

Maso flinched slightly as the ointment that rested on his scars finally sunk in, maneuvering around to make things better.

"What did you do?" He whispered. "Because you don't like the way you lived? What did you do, Linda?"

The woman smiled softly, but there was a sadness even she couldn't detect. "I ran. I turned seventeen and I asked a recruiter to make me a nurse in the United States Marine corps. I left my home, believin that problems would be gone and I was gonna be happier.

But ah done learned more about the world in war than ah done back home. And the world just don't seem like it's the way it should be."

Maso lifted his arms above his head as Linda began to wrap his torso. He nodded in agreement.

"The war has shown our true colors. My own twin brother was an active foot soldier and he died two years after the war started. He urged me to enlist and I did, but I chose non-combat because I did not want to hurt a man. I did not feel offended by these people. This war was not mine to fight. Those were my thoughts, but I wanted my brother to be safe. I wanted to ensure his life because he was my soulmate. My other half. From womb to windup." The man sighed. "Alas it was to no escape. He was killed two years after enlisting and I stayed because by then, there was no way out."

"Ah'm sorry for that." Linda whispered. She couldn't imagine losing a twin. But she knew it must have hurt to lose someone that close.

Maso laughed. "I told you that you do not have to apologize, Linda. Although I will always mourn, it was my brother who enlisted and I followed."

"Well, ah never thought about that. Well, ah am happy you got that choice. My parents wanted me to be all kinds of things while I only wanted to be Linda. Bet your parents never gave you none of that."

And then there is a silence that told Linda she brought back a memory that had just ended. Opened a wound that had just been stitched. Something bad happened to his parents and he was not yet ready to speak upon it.

The shift from life to death had been so sudden. The heart beat so beautifully, and then it was gone.

Maso did not say anything again for the day, and Linda left the tent with guilt heavy in the heart she wondered if she had anymore.

* * *

 _June 1947_

Linda believed she pushed Maso into a hole of mourning. He did not speak for a month, only to tell her what hurt and bid her farewell.

He usually sat up on his bed, staring at a book and not reading. It was like watching a living corpse- one that had survived the Bombing of Hiroshima.

The woman bit her lip as she cleaned up her medical supplies and dusted her apron.

"Goodnight, Maso." She whispered. Just as a hand explored part of the tent's opening, there was a faint whisper. A mournful one. That one that started a conversation no one wanted to speak on, but everyone needed to speak about sooner or later.

"I could not save them."

Her eyes opened a lot wider and she turned to the man. Nothing was said or heard and that was enough for him to continue.

"The base on Hiroshima, where I was housed, was a very major army base. Not only was it a communications center and major port, the surrounding mountains made it the best target for the extra destruction.

August 6 was a normal day for both citizens and soldiers alike. We did our codes, talked about the war ending, went to work, took our children to school.

The weather was ideal, as it always was in Japan. Not a cloud in the sky. 75 beautiful degrees. The day didn't give us the warning that the world would end.

I was in a heavily reinforced building with concrete walls and I remember being on the radio at the time. I had just gotten off the phone with my parents.

An hour before, the American planes were detected by our radar. In fact, there were air raid warnings in several cities. However, when we found out there were only three bombers, we suspected it to just be a reconnaissance mission. And I told my parents, who lived in the civilian part of Hiroshima, that the alarms were lifted. Initially I called them so they could stay in their home, but I ended the conversation with my parents leaving the house to go shopping and a love you from them.

I hung up the phone and just sat there, feeling a relief in my stomach that shouldn't have been there. Of course we knew about America's project of the atomic bomb. We knew better than most and it scared us. If I could go back, I would. I would tell my parents that the alarm was not false. So that they can be with me. But it has happened already. And I cannot go back. I cannot change my feelings that lay in my stomach the moment I told them I loved them and goodbye.

There was relief where there should have not been. But I had no knowledge of that. Shima Surgical center was only two blocks away from me and four from my parents. And was visible to my eyes.

I heard another soldier yell outside as I looked out the window. He yelled 'supply drop,' but there were no drops scheduled for August 6. I looked out the window in confusion. And I believe God wanted to tell me something because my eyes caught it immediately. There was no searching. No squinting. I saw it as soon as I looked.

It was just coming down right above that surgical center. And all I could do was get up, turn my body halfway away from the window and try to yell.

'Bakudan!'

The sun exploded. And I flew away as the window and concrete shattered. Our surroundings had changed so quickly. I thought for a moment it had nothing to do with the war. I thought it was the collapse of Earth which was said to take place when the world ended.

My eye stung and I could not move, but it could not compare to the burning of my body. The people who were killed immediately had no idea what happened. The blood in their brains evaporated before they could even feel a thing. They were the lucky ones.

We who survived the initial flash suffered greatly. The flash lasted only a fraction of a second and we were severely burned.

I remember being able to stand and I recall crawling out of the communications center. I watched my people wander around aimlessly for hours. Some were so severely burned, they looked like walking pieces of charcoal, mindlessly escaping, until some collapsed and died.

I was one of many miraculously saved by concrete walls. I did not get exposed to the gamma rays and fireballs, not enough to kill me at least. I watched some of my friends fall to the ground and violently throw up their insides as they died from radiation poisoning.

And I was determined to see if my parents were okay. But it took me time. Days even to find the strength to move. To look away from the bright light of the flash that still hovered over our city with the mushroom cloud. I knew it took a few days, even if I could not see the sun, because my hair started falling out completely and I suffered unstoppable nosebleeds. It was hard to relocate my parent's home because there were none on the street.

But God has a way of showing me things even before I was looking for them. I knew my parents when I saw them.

They died right in the front of the house. My father lay atop my mother. Although, both their bodies were burned and unrecognizable, I knew because his body was larger. My mother was on the ground. Her mouth frozen open, despite the extreme temperature of her coallike skin. Her eyelids were gone and she lay on the ground with her face planted to the side. She looked alive, but she wasn't. I knew this because it was my father who was alive.

He looked like an animal as he lay atop her, only his head bobbing and his eyes trying to blink. And they stopped on me and immediately his head rested atop my mother's dead body and he just stared at me. Stared at me with the most tired face I'd seen. Tears left his unblinking eyes and evaporated immediately. My father was severely burned to coal. His hair was gone from radiation. His back was open and he was going to die.

But he was in peace and he could not speak, but moved his skeletal hand to my foot as he lay dying. His eyes did not close when he died, but I knew he was gone because he was staring pass me and not at me.

I knew my father wanted to protect us. Because when the dust cleared and the sun came out once more, their shadows were in the ground. And father was hugging mother from behind, her eyes away from the flash.

And he stared at me with great relief because he knew I would go on to live; tell stories of it; have another chance at life.

And all I could think of was how I could not save them."

Tears gushed from Maso's eyes like a great flood and Linda stood listening in shock. She knew it was wrong to speak, so she did not open her mouth. This was something she would never understand so she would not apologize.

Instead she sat next to Maso on the bed and placed an arm around his shoulders, letting him weep for the lives he could not save

* * *

 _Camp Zama, US Military Base_

 _Kanagawa prefecture, Japan_

 _Summer 1956_

She fell in love with him, just like she knew she always would. It was inevitable. It was fate. And it was forbidden. Her loyalty was to her country, but her heart was to a former linguist of the Japanese imperial army.

It wasn't so much a love at first sight thing. There was no tripping over anything and staring into the eyes of someone she felt she should have known for years. No. Love wasn't like that. Love took time and patience. Love was climbing the stairs to heaven as your sins stared you down.

Love was slow and it came in stages. And that happened to Linda Patterson when she fell in love with Maso Namikaze.

The first time she saw Maso, it was like he saw right through her. As if she were water that he simply used and took for granted everyday. But she remembered she'd made him laugh. And she remembered going to sleep that night on that camp thinking about how his eye strayed to her for a single moment too long before breaking away. And he shuffled quietly back into himself because he was embarrassed about himself. Embarrassed by the bombings.

When they got to know each other; when the story of her past sunk in and he was ready to speak on his, she watched him crumble. She watched him speak of losing his brother in the war and stare into the eyes of his dying father. As he spoke of the bombings and the confused state it left Hiroshima in, Linda watched him try to lift a mountain from his back. But it collapsed back on him and he cried out heavily; for help and for death. And she'd sat on the bed and let him cry in her arms, let him crumble much like the world did when no one was looking.

Linda began to play with fire. Maso could get hurt because _he_ was the enemy. He was Japanese and she was the American woman that could be "easily manipulated." But still, she played with the fire. Still she snuck to his tent in the night just to speak with him. She played with fire so dangerously when it was he who was made of paper.

Sometimes, she would run her fingers down his arms. Sometimes, she would lean forward and kiss the bandages that protected an eye that was not there. It made him shudder because she should have been doing it someone else. Someone that looked like her, but she didn't want to. But it made him shudder even more when she did it just to make him see that he was something. Despite the cancer and radiation and burns and balding head and missing eye, he was beautiful.

And it is only after a year Linda says "I love you." she whispered it quickly after General Smith grants him freedom when Linda is done healing him. And she looked from side to side before finally planting a kiss on his scarred chin. As if the tent walls that have been his home for a year can hear them.

When Linda became pregnant in 1954, there was a silent tension around the camp. Because they knew she has been around no one else, but what more could they have done that the bomb didn't do? Maso was a broken man, which made her pregnancy all the more confusing.

It was Betsy, the African American nurse that was very close to Linda, that delivered the children. Three boys. One looks exactly like Linda. But Maso hears an American soldier walk by his tent saying that all three boys "got Jap in them that can't go unnoticed." It disturbed him. Betsy is the one that helped nurture the children until they are ready to leave camp with him. Because Linda is "gone," and Betsy is the only one who does not judge their forbidden relationship.

Love took time, but rewarded itself in the end. At least, it was supposed to. But it doesn't. Linda should have, like Maso, looked to God and told him that if loving Maso was a sin, she refused her place in heaven. But she couldn't. Her loyalty was to her country.

And when America felt like it had done all it could in imperializing Japan, camp Kinser was no longer needed. And Linda left with her troops. And it was miraculous because she left for home the day Betsy gave the infants to Maso, who could then leave for another camp.

A small patter of feet broke Maso out of his stupor and he turned as they grew louder.

There was no one else in the tent, but the small streak of sunlight that peeked with interest through the window. He grunted and gave the attention back to his book before he heard it.

A faint whisper, that of a child's, that commanded some kind of authority.

"Shh. Be quiet or he'll hear us." This was their leader. The most powerful of the group and a soul so demanding, it seemed evil. This is who Maso feared the most of anyone in the entire camp.

"I'm hungwy." And then there was the one no one really wanted, but somehow everyone needed. Maso did not fear this man as much as the other two, but there was something about him that made the man quiver. Something that made Maso look away from him when he could stare in the eyes of their leader for days. The dead last.

The Hiroshima survivor sighed heavily, placing his book on the nightstand, and he heard a loud smack outside the tent. The sound of flesh hitting flesh with an intent to injure.

"Yakunitatanai baka. Look what you did." The middle ringer. The enforcer that followed the leader with all his might and managed to remind Maso of a mutt. He was vicious, angry, and all the more dangerous. Maso could never reason with him.

A small whimper broke out. Sniffles muffled by hand. And the dead last spoke in a cries. "Daddy said not to hit me."

Maso grunted, and made silent motions with his hands to tell God that he was very tired and they woke from their nap too soon. As if to say 'oh come on!' with might. But before he could stand and confront his forsaken enemies, Betsy's southern voice rung through the camp.

"What'd I tell you boys about playing by your father's tent when he workin'?"

It grew quiet and Maso sighed because the screamed that followed thereafter said, at last, they had found a new target, and he could rest with peace.

"Oba!" They screamed and Betsy screamed too because he was sure they had tackled the nurse to the ground.

There was a scuffling before the flap opened and Betsy walked in with two small Japanese boys hanging from her brown legs and a very small one clinging to her neck, tears in his eyes.

She smiled sheepishly at him. "I know you wanted me to let you know when they woke from their nap, but...here we are."

The leader was the first to jump off. Minato Namikaze, named after Maso's father for his bravery, was Linda's first son. And while Minato was the ringleader and commander of Maso's forsaken enemies, he was also a brutal protector of his younger brothers and their walking wisdom. And when Minato had come out first as the leader of the pack, Minato Namikaze II sounded just right for him.

He raised a fist in the air as if to make a battle cry. "I didn't need to take a nap because I'm a big boy." His voice was smug and his brother's stared, one in disbelief and the other in amusement.

The disbeliever, the naysayer, growled and crossed his arms. "You lie. I heard you snoring."

Minato's face grew a pretty red and his blue eyes scurried from Betsy to Maso and then to his little brother. "You're just jealous, Misaji-nii."

Misaji just stuck out his tongue, obviously in no mood to argue with the older boy. Misaji was an enforcer, the boy who didn't make orders, but executed them with a science. He knew exactly what was best and he carried out orders better then Maso had when he was a soldier. And although, he was a inspirer. He said and did things that made people want to be better, just like the man and twin he was named after. And when his younger brother had come out as silent as he, looking exactly like he, Misaji Namikaze II sounded perfect for him.

Madoka was the youngest of the triplets. He often cried a lot and carried a small stuffed toad in his hands. And he clung to Betsy's leg when she worked around camp. He was a silent boy and very sensitive like his mother was when she was around. Madoka wasn't named after a protector or an inspirer because he just wasn't those things. But he was something; if there was anything Maso knew, the sensitive boy was something great.

Betsy sighed at the two year olds, who should not have been having such conversations at such an age. "Quiet, the lot of you. Now, I got some real important news from the Lieutenant Colonel you might like to hear."

Maso looked up in interest as Minato came to sit upon his lap. Betsy smiled at him. It was a happy smile, but there was an ending sadness as if to say 'You did good, Maso.'

"Would ja like me to read it out loud?"

Misaji tried climbing on his father's bed, but his small tan legs could not reach up. So Maso leaned down, resting his hand on the boy's small bottom and pushing him up. He bit his lip to hide his amusement as the boy face planted into the mattress and raised himself as if nothing happened.

"Yes. Arigato, Betsy-nii." Maso muttered.

Betsy nodded and opened a folded sheet of paper, smiling softly as Madoka laid his head on her shoulder. "Well, It says here…

 _Honorable Discharge_

 _From the Armed forces of the United States of America_

 _This is to certify that_

 _Namikaze Maso, Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, Cryptologic Linguist_

 _Was honorably discharged from the Army Specialized services_

 _On the tenth day of June 1967_

 _This certificate is awarded as a testimonial of honest and faithful service"_

Betsy smiled as the room grew quiet and Maso's lips quivered and quivered until finally, he rested his head in his hands and smiled too.

Madoka did not understand what the letter meant, so he asked first "What does it mean?"

Betsy smiled. "It means you and your brothers will be able to leave camp. Get your own rooms. And run around and play outside and go to a real school when you grow. It means your lives will be as normal as the clear blue sky."

"Our own rooms?" Misaji asked in excitement.

Maso nodded. "Our own home." He confirmed. "A house for Maso, Minato, Misaji, and Madoka."

Minato stood on his own two legs. "How come we all got M in our names? And what do they even mean?"

Maso smiled, his eye squinted closed. "Well Minato is the name of a great protector, a leader amongst all people." Minato blushed heavily but smiled. Misaji came beside the boy and Maso laughed. "Misaji was the name of a great inspirer, one who could do anything and masses of people would follow him. He was a world changer, just like you."

"What about me, papa? What is my name great for?" He stared at Madoka's big brown eyes as he climbed down from Betsy's arms. There was no great person in Madoka because the boy was a great person all by himself.

He placed a large hand on the boy's head. "Well, Madoka. Sometimes, a name is all you need." The boy faltered slightly. "But the first of many great things must start somewhere, and why not in you?"

The boy giggled as his father poked his small belly.

* * *

 _Namikaze home residence_

 _Kabukichō, Tokyo_

 _June 2, 1994_

The terror began in the Honshu islands. Because like great things, terror also needed to begin somewhere.

It came because of the poverty and hunger. It came because stomachs were growling and money was missing.

It came in a small home in the city of Kabukichō, Tokyo.

And in this home stood three men of the Yakuza crime syndicate. They silently spoke in the kitchen, not only trying to scrape for some money, but to find better lives for their children.

They weren't big in the Yakuza, more often labeled as _shatei_ than anything. Little brothers of something much larger than them. But they got by doing the dirty work for people like the _oyabun_.

The three men, brothers, were currently webbed in a heated debate of who would carry out the job given to them by the family boss. Although any three could, the _oyabun_ had requested one of their children execute the job as a proper initiation to crime; to working and scavenging for not what the poor wanted, but what they needed.

Madoka was the first to speak, and he rubbed his inked face as he spoke of his daughter, Karin. "Karin is not right for the job. She is too sensitive as I was as a child."

Minato nodded in agreement. "Which is why this is perfect for her. This will bring her out of her sensitive ways, otouto."

The man shook his head. "This one would be too extreme for her. For her, we will start small. _Sore no owari."_

The more quiet of the brothers, Misaji sighed. "Okay, Karin is out of question. What of Nagato?"

Immediately, the oldest and youngest shook their heads. And Misaji blinked before raising a finger to defend his son. "Okay, that was very offensive."

Minato smiled in amusement. "Nagato is almost 17. He is getting ready to graduate and this crime is too small for him. Something as simple as ransom will not do. Besides, he's already done his fair share of crimes. Remember the robbery."

Misaji nodded. "So all that is left is Naruto."

With the mention of Minato's own son, the man grimaced in slight pain. "He's too young. Only 11."

They were silent as they stared at him and then incredulously, he asked "Naruto?"

The sound of the small radio on the countertop finally gave way to the attention of the home that was still there. The man looked at it and then at each other as they heard the sound of rhythmic tapping in the dining area.

Minato wanted another way because the boy was so young and knew nothing of the world. But then again, Naruto rarely spoke around the house, often in his own world at the table, or listening to American music he knew no words of on that small scabby radio.

Misaji nodded. "Naruto." He whispered.

And one at a time, their eyes traveled to the wall, behind it sat a boy.

Naruto liked to sit at the dining room table when there was nothing to do and listen to the radio. Karin was taking a nap in the room and Nagato was at school.

His father and uncles were speaking of something that he could care less about and the only thing that mattered was the radio.

He could not understand who this man was on the song, much less what he was saying, but he knew something about the tone.

He knew little English from Maso-grandpa and Naruto tried deciphering the fast words. The man was looking for dead presidents to represent him. The boy knew, from his history class, that America enjoyed putting the fallen presidents on dollar bills. And Naruto liked that this man wanted those dollar bills.

 _While others spit that Wonderama shit, me and my conglomerate_

 _Shall remain anonymous, caught up in the finest shit_

 _Live out my dreams until my heart give out_

Naruto smiled and laid his head upon the table. He liked American rap. He liked that people who came from nothing were able to still express the struggles that brought them to the highest point of their lives. This man had obviously gone through a lot of hardships. This song was not only about him wanting more power than he already had, but was also a way to tell the story of how he was once a young boy, still searching for the US banknotes.

With his ears to listen, his hands to create, and the table to use, Naruto started to hit the object with the same rhythm and tone of the beat.

Tousan had told him that rap was poetry, which was literary masterpieces given with an intense expression of feelings and emotions.

And rap was poetry with a touch of human. Rap was poetry with a struggle. Rap stood for rhythm and poetry.

This man on the radio, whoever he was and wherever he was, knew all about the grind; He knew how to work for what he wanted and would let no one stop him. He knew the struggle and the poverty and the hunger, but he also knew the hustle.

Naruto almost wanted to be like him. But there was something else there, hidden and unspoken. He almost wanted to be even better.

Because Naruto is sick of going to sleep hungry. He is sick of his stomach hurting when he lays on his small bed next to Nagato. He hates missing school because he is too weak to even move. He hates white rice because it's all they eat.

He wants better. He wants dead presidents too.

The song stops all of a sudden and the boy knew in his heart it wasn't over. Brought back into reality, he stared up as his father moved from the radio and walked in, smiling at him softly.

"Papa…" he murmured. "Who is that man on our radio?"

The man smiled at the eleven year old and it's a look that makes Naruto think he will ignore the question completely. Instead, Minato sat in a chair next to his.

"You like that song?"

Naruto nodded. "Hai. Do you know who the rapper is?"

A look of disappointment spread across his face when Minato shook his head. But the man leaned forward, grabbing Naruto's scrawny hands in his. "Sometimes, Naruto, you do not need to know the artist to enjoy the painting. Why do you like this song?"

He shakes his head. "I don't know." He whispered. But the shake gave off the impression that he doesn't want to give the reason rather than he doesn't know.

Minato let it slide. "Is it because the artist has power and authority? Or that they are pushing themselves to be great?"

Naruto's mouth opened and he gaped at the man. How could he have known all that? Was Minato so much like his son that he knew his every thought?

But still, he nodded in agreement.

"Naruto, these qualities are what make one a man. Do you want to be a man?"

It wasn't a thing he got asked everyday and it almost made him uncomfortable. But Naruto was so hungry for purpose that he nodded. He did. He wanted to be seen as a man in his father's eyes.

"Well we have a job that can make us a lot of money, son. This money may change our entire lifestyle, but it can only be ours if we do this job. And that can only be done by you."

After this was said, uncle Madoka and uncle Misaji walked in. Madoka was the first to speak as he crossed his arms and leaned against the table. "He is right, Oi. Otoko ni naritai?"

Naruto nodded, almost excitedly now. The job must have been very important if they wanted Naruto to do it. Naruto was younger then both Karin and Nagato, so he was almost overshadowed when business was the subject.

"Yes. I'll do the job."

Minato raised a brow at him. "No matter what it is?"

"Yes, tousan. I'll do it."

Minato smirked with pride. "Very well, when Nagato returns, we will all take a trip."

* * *

Nagato returned from school only an hour later and he found Naruto sitting at the table with Karin.

The two were eating Kyoho grapes and with a smirk, the teenager leaned over and stole a grape that almost went into Naruto's mouth. The blond boy caught his eye and growled.

"This is all we have. I'm hungry."

Nagato smiled at the scrawny boy and dropped his backpack upon the table. "Lucky for you two…."

He trailed off and opened his bag. Naruto stared at him with hope and he laughed when Karin's mouth, still stuffed with grapes, opened in anticipation.

"I have these." first he pulled out five glazed dango sticks wrapped delicately in plastic. And then came the onigiri balls.

Naruto jumped up and hugged the boy and he felt embarrassed that tears were in his eyes. But he was so hungry and had been for a while. "Arigatō. Arigatō. I love you so much."

Nagato smiled sadly and rubbed the boys back. "Karin looks like she will eat them all. You better hurry."

With that the boy turned around, ready to scuffle with his other cousin, but finding her mindlessly eating a dango stick.

She smiled. "How did you get these, cousin?"

Nagato smiled proudly. "I volunteered for work in the library and bought them. I would have gotten more, but tousan said we had business and needed me home early." he looked around as a matter of fact. "Where are they?"

Naruto licked his stick like a popsicle and smiled. "In the car outside."

Nagato eyed him and sat down. "Do you two know what's going on?" Both children shook their heads at their cousin. "Well, there is a man that owes the boss money. And he has been in debt for a while. He keeps pushing his pay dates back and the boss wants them sped up. So he's asked our family to kidnap the man's son and hold him until the money is wired."

Karin's head turned to the side. "So, a ransom?"

Nagato nodded. "Of course. But no one will get hurt, though. We are sure once he realizes his son is gone, he will wire the ¥327.7 million immediately."

Naruto choked. "¥327.7 million?!" A nod from his cousin. "That's like a billion yen!"

Nagato snorted at his cousin. And Karin hit the blond in his head. "You idiot!" She screamed.

Before they could start fighting and arguing, a knock on the door sounded and all three looked up, finding their parents standing in the doorway, their brows raised in amusement. Misaji smiled. "Are you three ready?"

Nagato nodded and stood.

"Then come."

Karin's eyes widened. "What about the food?"

Her father sighed. "Bring them, Karin."

Naruto snorted and Karin pushed his shoulders when they were the last two in the house. "Now you're the idiot."

Karin just stuck out her tongue as they crowded into the backseat of Minato's small car.

Minato turned around. "We'll have to pile up just one of you. Madoka is coming back there."

Naruto crossed his arms obnoxiously, reminding Minato of the boy's mother. "I ain't putting Karin on my lap. She's too heavy."

Minato smirked. "Naruto…" he trailed off in reminder. "You're the smallest."

And the sudden realization had landed him a seat in Nagato's lap the entire car ride out of the city and into the mountains.

It took an entire two hours and Naruto made a very loud show of stretching when he got out of the car. He looked around the cliff they stood on, over the city they had just left.

"City looks great from here." He whispered.

"Naruto, come here." His father's voice broke the sky and again he turned, finding Minato and his brothers by the trunk.

Nagato and Karin were already standing to the side, waiting for their orders.

"You've all been taught how to properly use a gun and I expect those lessons to brought out while we go back down the mountain for something."

Naruto watched the guns get handed off with care. A M4 Carbine assault rifle for Nagato.

A FN Scar assault rifle to Karin.

His father turned to him. And to him a M1911A1 pistol, imported from the Americas.

Minato closed the trunk. "Don't use your bullets. Karin and Nagato, you two keep a look out. If anyone comes up here and they aren't us, shoot immediately. Naruto, you wait until we return."

* * *

When they did return, Naruto had already grown tired as did his cousins. Nagato sat with a book in his hand upon the ground, Karin kept running her hands over the metal of her rifle.

And Naruto… Naruto was watching the dying sky. He wondered how it could wake so vibrantly one day and then sleep. It had been a wonderful blue this morning, but right now, it was even more beautiful.

It was a purple with undertones of pink and orange. And the colors were so vibrant that they seemed like they were just introduced to the world. The color purple would tell the people that she meant power, royalty, extravagance, and rarity in the natural world. Pink wasn't only love, it was healthy, friendship, and for Naruto, a way to neutralize disorder. And finally orange. Orange came into the world and told them he would only bring enthusiasm, encouragement, and success. And Naruto believed it until he couldn't.

Suddenly, the sky was torn away. Yes it was still purple and orange and pink, but everything they had come into the world with; everything that they meant was torn away. And to replace the stability they brought into the world came the sound of a car engine, traveling and panting up that mountain side.

Naruto stood with curiosity, ready to choose fear if it weren't his father and uncles, and fear if it was. He watched Karin stand too, long done with tracing circles on the weapon. And he watched her load it up. And he watched her raise it in the direction of the mountain entrance.

Nagato did the same and Naruto blushed in embarrassment, because really, what could he do with a pistol?

The car was his father's and while his cousins sighed in relief, he did in anticipation. Minato stepped out first, his hard eyes already staring into Naruto's. Watching his son, he went around the car and opened the trunk. Naruto watched the entire time. And he watched small bare feet come out and the legs came around.

Whoever the child was with the cloth sack over their head, Naruto noted that their legs were grimed in dirt, but they were well fed, unlike his own. Minato brought the child over and forced them to kneel on the gravel.

"Come here, Naruto."

The boy walked over, the pistol low in his hand. He stopped before the child and Minato looked at him. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

The boy swallowed the lump in his throat. He looked to his uncles and his cousins, whose eyes flickered between the child and him. And he turned back to his father.

"I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to do this."

Minato blinked, but there was no pride, almost concern. He looked down and slowly pulled the sack off the child's head.

Naruto knew this boy.

This boy came into school with lunch and a happy smile. This boy could buy anything from the school lunch line and even though everyone liked to say his parents had so much money, Kiba Inuzuka was the humble boy that liked to draw circles on the desks and smiled big at Naruto when he passed back papers.

Kiba didn't deserve this. That was the thought that ran through everyone's head. Yeah, Kiba didn't deserve this. But in Naruto's head, somehow he did. He had everything that Naruto didn't and Naruto wanted more than that before he grew even more.

His excitement was mistaken in his father's eyes as sadness and he spoke quietly. "Naruto, we will not kill him. This is only to instill fear in his father so that the money will be wired quickly."

But there was a secret no one else knew. Naruto wanted this. He couldn't make them understand what was happening inside him because he couldn't understand himself. The eleven year old nodded and put the pistol's front sight and recoil plug right on Kiba's head. Right between his eyebrows.

Kiba blinked, confused, bewildered, betrayed. "Naruto." He whispered. Because apparently, he knew this boy. And now that was realized between everyone on that mountain point.

Minato grimaced and squeezed Kiba's shoulder to the point the boy whimpered in pain. "Quiet." Another gaze to Naruto before he pulled out a small phone. He dialed a number and waited as he walked around.

"Did you wire the money?" he spoke. His tone was commanding and brutal, sinister as if he knew something the other man did not. "No? We have your son. We know where your wife works. We know your mother stays in your home by herself for hours. Wire the money, Inuzuka."

The world grew quiet then and Naruto stared at Kiba to search in the boy's eyes. He wanted to know what his thoughts were and he wanted to stop him from thinking. He knew the boy was afraid and he didn't want him to be afraid anymore.

"Just wire the money and you can have your son back. No harm will be done to him. You have three hours." Minato hung up harshly and looked to his family, who stood around waiting for there next move.

"What do we do now, uncle?" Nagato questioned.

Minato smirked. "We wait. Don't worry. It will be fine."

Naruto looked back to the pistol. He wasn't worried about himself.

* * *

Apparently, three hours was a very long time and a very long time to kneel and a very long one to stand. Everyone else had changed their positions.

But only four things did not change; Kiba still kneeled, pistol on his head. Naruto still stood before him, pistol in hand. The sun still shone, giving the world colors that didn't belong there. And fate showed the world that it would not be deterred. No matter the time, no matter the deadline.

The cell phone rang. Karin's eyes widened. Minato picked up immediately. "It's been four hours." Came his immediate growl. "Do you think this is a joke? That your sons life is a game? You spent the money? How, It's only been two months? What do you mean you can't come up with the final million yen? No. It's too late. There is no more time!"

Minato hung up and slammed the phone on the ground, smashing it with his foot, with might, and with anger.

It grew silent and the Namikaze family did not know what to say to another. It was Karin, the sensitive soul, who spoke first. "Are we going to take him back down the mountain now? Just leave him by a store?"

Naruto looked to Kiba who was already looking at him. He sighed. "Watashi ni wa ki o tsukawanakute ii kara raku ni shite ite." He whispered.

The sound of the pistol was exhilarating. It was such a concussive shot that Naruto didn't hear it. There was only a pressure like his ears had popped and it hurt so bad. All sound had been deafened, but when it was regained, he could hear Nagato gasp and he could hear Karin scream as Kiba's body fell backward with force.

The other boy's blood was a dark red. And it was all Naruto could see. The sky had no power of the blood as it ran from Kiba's face. As it sunk into the pores on Naruto's face and arms. Red signified strength, danger, and war. Red belonged to him because the sky could not take that away.

* * *

 **Japanese words used here:** _Yakunitatanai baka_ means "useless idiot."

 _Oba_ means "auntie."

 _Oyabun_ means "family boss"

 _Sore no owari_ translates to "the end of it." Or "end of discussion."

 _Oi. Otoko ni naritai?_ Translates to "nephew. Do you want to be a man?"

 _Watashi ni wa ki o tsukawanakute ii kara raku ni shite ite_ is a term Japanese people use when there is nothing left to say. It means "just relax and don't worry about me." I know it's a way to move out of the way of attention, but these words are a comfort to Kiba and a condolence from Naruto.

 **The title of this chapter is Paradise. It is a common street term for Cocaine and if you guessed that, yes, all my chapter titles will be drug related. They will have a drug term, but the word will be closely related to the chapters contents.**

 **Paradise is what people call Cocaine solely for the effect it has on users. When people think of paradise, usually a beautiful natural place comes into mind. The title is ironic to the chapter because all scenes show that everyone is very far from paradise.**

 **Beginning: Sasuke speaks on his dead husband**

 **Middle: Linda comes to terms with racism and the Hiroshima Bombing.**

 **Mid-end: Maso has three wonderful boys, but their mother has run off to America.**

 **End: Naruto has to kill Kiba, a fellow school boy.**

 **The irony: Sasuke is in a beautiful house and apparently, he is rich. Linda is a happy woman. Maso is rich with love. And Naruto enjoys the nature and how beautiful the sky is right before he kills Kiba.**

 **From here on, the chapters will not start with Sasuke speaking with the interviewer. That was just to get into things and show the present where Naruto is dead. I don't want to do that because it seems too close to my other story "We Lived As Gods."**

 **Colors signify a lot because Naruto sees them as new. And this signifies his initiation into crime. Into a brand new world. He notices that the sky introduces colors to them. But when he kills Kiba and watches the blood, the boy takes red for himself. He feels powerful and because the color is now tainted with blood, the sky doesn't take it, so Naruto takes the color for himself. It's almost like the sky believes colors should he introduced as something good, but Naruto takes it first, and the sky refuses it.**

 **I know you're all wondering some things about missing people and stuff, but you'll have to wait and be patient.**

 **One more thing, if the terms used in here bothered you, this story is not for you. I mentioned derogatory terms that Japanese people and African American people face because life is real. All fanfiction can't be paradise and a forewarning, my story is so far from it.**

 **If the bombings bothered you; if the killing bothered you; if the racist terms bothered you, go now. There's so much more where that came from.**

 **And please please, don't take offense to the words. As an African American teen myself, I know what it's like. But someone has to speak up on these things. Just like I spoke upon the mental stigma we face in "A Most Beautiful Mind," I won't steer away from this. It's my story. Thank you and goodnight. *Tips head like David Letterman.***

 **PS. I have a tumblr with the same name, and in a few weeks from now, I'll be postings my drawings of characters from this story. some scenes will be posted too, so you may have to read the story to understand.**


	2. Gold Dust

**Gold Dust**

 **Gold dust is a term used to describe the appearance of Cocaine, but let's see what else can have the appearance of dust, shall we?**

 **Praise the reviewers, followers, and favorites of my story. You don't know, but it's you guys writing The story. Support is all the motivation I need to come back with faster chapters that may be where more heart racing than the last. So thank you.**

 **Guest Yami Heart, bless you. For telling me that "A Most Beautiful Mind" and "We Lived As Gods" were masterpieces. I worked so hard on those stories and it's readers like you that really make people want to forget their lives and write. I wake nothing more than my readers to enjoy. Because if not, what am I here for?**

* * *

 _Kyushu Islands_

 _Nagasaki, Empire of Japan_

 _August 9, 1945_

Reo Yamaguchi liked playing under the Persimmon tree in his parent's backyard. It had always been his favorite place since he knew how to stand on his two legs. Although the boy was skewing past thirteen years old with the speed of light, he would always find something to enjoy about the tree during all stages of his life.

Right now, it signified his family, who the boy loved with his entire being. The leaves of the persimmon tree were leathery at the top; much like his father's marching boots that he liked to play with.

He played with them before dinner and dressed up in them before his father left for work. The man, like the leaves, were very important. He was a Marshal in the Imperial Japanese Army and the leader of the 134th AAA Regiment of the 4th AAA Division. Yes, Reo had remembered it all. Because the job was super important and his father worked it proudly. He worked in those leathery boots like no other man had before him and one day, Reo wanted to be like him. Just like him. The leather leaves made the tree and the leather marching boots made the man.

Beneath the leaves was a feeling so silky and a color so brown, just like his mother's eyes. His mother's eyes were soft and sweet, like music and fruit. They spoke to him when the woman didn't even utter a word. When Reo had done something unimaginably embarrassing, those pretty brown eyes smiled in amusement and pride that said ' _yes, you are a silly boy. But you are my silly boy_.' When Reo felt happy, those brown eyes smiled at him, content that he had this emotion. They held conversations with him that not even the Gods above could comprehend, and Reo loved his mother so much because she saw him. She saw him like she saw life and he would never be forgotten by her.

But, the best thing about the Persimmon tree was the fruit. In late autumn, the fruit, so sweet and ripe in taste, would turn a pretty red-orange. At least his did. His sensei said that hers turned a yellow, but he didn't believe her. It wasn't real. It couldn't be. Because Reo knew that when God made the persimmon fruit, he would make them the exact color of his baby sister's cheeks. The red-orange that shone brighter than fire when she laughed at something Reo did. When she spoke with excitement in gibberish of something she liked. When their father would lift her in the air and call her princess. His little sister had brought life to the tree.

Just as she was doing now. Reo let go of the branch he was holding onto, and dropped to the ground, right next to the baby that lay on the grass, wrapped so delicately in blankets, she resembled the clouds.

He stared at her rosy cheeks until she recognized him and her shock died down. The baby smiled and lifted her hands to be grabbed, her cheeks shining, her world lovely. He smiled and grabbed the baby, snuggling her like he'd seen his mother do to his chest. He put his cheek on hers and nuzzled her like he'd seen his father do. And then he laughed because it had tickled. And she laughed too.

The thirteen year old smiled and his eyes filled up because he loved his little sister so much. "I love you, Sasuke." He whispered.

"Reo?" The boy looked up, taken out of the fantasy of caring for his little sister and finding his mother in the doorway of their patio. The woman's eyes blinked and Reo believed they had smiled at the image of seeing her two children so close. "Are you ready for lunch, baby?"

"Yes, mama." He smiled.

The woman nodded and turned. "Okay. Bring your sister in and don't forget her blankets."

A nod on his end although she didn't see and Reo turned back to get her blankets. The boy smiled as Sasuke giggled when he bent down to grab her things.

He smiled and kissed her forehead. "Fun dip?" He asked. He did it again and the girl laughed louder. He loved hearing her laugh so much that he did it again, but he couldn't hear her laugh anymore.

Instead, there was the aerodynamic of a plane coming over in the sky. The engine was roaring and Reo actually looked up as he watched a plane soar overhead.

"Nani ga…" He trailed off.

The boy flinched and clenched tight to his baby sister when he heard a loud rumble in the sky. There were no clouds in the sky and the weatherman had not spoke of it, but surely it, must have been thunder. The boy turned and gasped.

The thunder was visible. And it was coming straight for him and his sister. It was a bright beam of light and he knew it would kill him.

"Reo!"

His mother's voice.

"Reo! Turn around!"

The boy turned away, clutching his sister tight to his chest and trying to shield her small body from the destruction the Gods felt they deserved. He felt his mother's body collapse over him before the thunder hit.

He felt the burns and how excruciating they were upon his back.

And then he felt nothing at all.

* * *

When Reo Yamaguchi woke, it was supposed to be a nightmare. He was supposed to wake up to the sweet smell of his mother's cooking three levels down; he should have heard his father's record playing and he should have been sore from baseball practice.

He should have woken up and wiped the little boogers from his eyes.

The thunder that killed them was supposed to be a nightmare. The thing he knew about nightmares, growing up, was that people woke up from them. Not here. Not this time.

All the boy could smell was old meat. As if someone had left the body of a dying horse in the sun. It smelled like flesh and he was sure he would have thrown up if his insides were not burned.

There was no sound in the world and he was sure it was hell. Yes, his body was indeed sore. But there was burning all over. And he saw clearly what the devil had brought upon them.

He saw it when he tried moving his melted fleshy hand over the burning grass. He couldn't breathe and he fought with all his power just to inhale the poisonous air. Just to stay in this nightmare.

His hand finally moved even if he still could not feel it. The sky had been dropping dust everywhere. Dust so pale and thin as a grain, it wasn't dust. It was ashes. He could hear his neighbors moaning, people coughing, people dying. The boy lifted his beating head, trying to find his mother and Sasuke.

Sasuke lay protected beneath him. But even his holding wasn't enough to save her five month old body from whatever that was.

Her skin was scabbed, some places burned so severely, they were surrounded by darkness and showed the white beneath her flesh.

The boy rolled off her, whimpering and confused. What had she done to God? She was only a baby, so innocent in the world. Why was she not allowed to breath and cry in pain?

He hunched forward, crying tears that evaporated into dust and air when they dropped. His mouth was burning and he couldn't speak, but if he could he would cry for Sasuke. He would mourn her name until she too disappeared and became ashes.

There was a moaning beside him and the boy turned with a struggle, his neck creaking.

A monster lay beside him.

It was a woman clearly. If some parts of her head were not covered by smoking scabs, then black hair that was coarse and shriveled took its place. The smell of her burning flesh was so vile, the flies and maggots that the Gods did not kill had come to surround her; to eat her dying body. One side of her face was completely burned off, leaving a soft white skull underneath. Her mouth was missing; no more lip, just bare teeth and no flesh. Her brown eye had no lid and the skull eye was hanging down, as low as where her lips would be. Her sunken nose bled heavily, heavier than the snow last winter.

The monster was her.

His mother stood off the ground and then collapsed by her own weight.

The woman stared at the ground for a while before looking up. The thirteen year old cried out.

Why did everything hurt? What had they done for the end of the world to come?

His mother hadn't died and Reo didn't know whether to be happy or devastated; she looked to be in so much pain, he was beginning to wish she had died immediately like Sasuke had. For a while, Reo wished it were just he that had to go through the pain of dying slowly.

She stared with her pretty brown eyes and finally, she gathered the strength to crawl two steps to him. Finally she lifted a hot hand to stroke his face and then touch Sasuke's dead body. She smiled and whispered. "I'm so sorry."

She turned away from him, but still his young eyes were not skewed away from him watching her die and crying as he did.

She vomited violently, her shoulders shaking, dry heaving only to spit up again. This was so different from weeks ago when he had aided her when she got the flu.

This time, she vomited organs that were smoky and red red red with blood. She vomited until there was nothing left but the empty shell of her corpse.

The thirteen year old whined until the whines became heavy sobs. Violent, in denial, and hopeless. He sobbed so heavily, he was sure the neighbors could hear his violent screams. The water left his eyes like a great flood. And the sobs wracked his body to extreme soreness.

The tree had been cut and all that was left were the roots and ashes. His family was gone and somehow, God told him that his father too had been gone.

There was nothing to live for, but the sight of Sasuke's body, the vision of his mother dying in pain, and his father dying as silent as the soldier he was. There was nothing but the ashes and the smell of flesh still burning, more ashes to come.

* * *

 _Nagasaki University Hospital_

 _Nagasaki, Japan_

 _January 1950_

"Anata no sūpu o sugu ni motte ikimasu." The nurse smiled politely at Reo before she left the room swiftly.

Reo grunted as he laid his head down, touching his bald head with a heavy sigh.

Sheets ruffling sounded nearby and a soft voice spoke to him. "She won't be back until later." Reo turned to the voice and with his broken eyes, he saw a small woman in the hospital bed next to him.

Her long black hair was tied up in a bun and a hand rested on her stomach. Although her eyes were heavily bandaged, Reo wanted to believe they were pointed to the ceiling, watching it and him all at once.

He wasn't new to her. He wasn't new to anyone at this hospital. She'd come in a week prior, smug, conceited, and all the more intriguing. The woman was calm, collected, but when she was rude, she crafted her words so well that they seemed to be made with spite.

The nurses called her Kamiko, which meant "Superior child," and Reo believed it.

She could not see him, but the 18 year old still blushed heavily when he tilted his head in uncertainty. Then he cleared his throat and grunted for continuation.

"Hn. Figures. They won't bring you back anything in a hurry unless you are very wounded. Which reminds me, What are you in for?"

The silence was enough to tell Kamiko that Reo had become deathly uncomfortable with how fast the conversation had went. Maybe he had a small injury and he felt embarrassed speaking with a blind woman.

She sighed and turned her head away. "Me? I was minding my own business when this idiot hit me with his truck. Did nothing but detach my retinal?"

Reo gulped, confused. "Retinal?"

Her head turned sharply back to him and he cowered even if she could not see. "Baka." She whispered. But he did not have the heart to tell about the bombing. And how he had not been to school since that day, but transferring between hospitals and beds. He was embarrassed to say that even if he were still alive, the bomb managed to kill him.

She sighed, her hands moving while her mouth found the right words. "Okay so the retina is a thin layer of tissue that lines the back of the eye. At least, the inside of it. During the accident, I face head trauma and the retina was removed from the tissue. Now I'm blind. Understand?"

"Yes." He whispered.

He watched her shrug before she whispered. "Hey, at least I'm alive. Nothing beats that." Quietness before she asked once again. "What are you in here for?"

He sighed.

"Come on, Usuratonkachi.." He had never heard that word before, but she said it like an insult, so he dived even deeper into himself. "It can't be worse than mine."

He looked down as his black feet and scabby legs, which had been permanently scorched by the clothes he'd been wearing that day. So hot that he had marks of the clothes stitching etched in his skin.

His eyes traveled to the gaping area that used to be the right side of his nose.

And then finally those deterring eyes moved to the long scar on his stomach, still fresh from the surgery two hours prior.

When he went in, they had told him it could be fixed when he came in. They had told him that the tumor had not grown fully into his blood vessels. They had said that despite the bombing, his liver was still in good functioning enough to receive surgery.

After the imaging scan, they had said it could be removed completely. They told him that he was okay. But during surgery, they had found out that the cancer was too large and had spread too far. And the surgery was cancelled.

They had told him he would live. And they had lied.

And then there were the emotional injuries that he wouldn't, couldn't speak of. How Sasuke had burned so badly that they were forced to cut the infant from his arm. How his mother stuck to the ground for months after the bombing. How they had finally recovered his father's body under the rubble of his base after two years. How Reo had tried to kill himself and was now on suicide watch.

He exhaled heavily, his chest hot, the sides of his eyes stinging. And he placed the words simply, remembering all the hurt, pain, and discrimination. "I am _Hibakusha_."

The stillness of that word was even greater than the stillness moments before the bomb dropped. The coughs in the hospital had seemed to go silent and dust that lingered in the air stopped. It had been so still, time itself had stopped to stare at Reo. Time pitied him and he watched its eyes water with the strength of a tsunami and say "I'm sorry for what happened."

Time itself could not comprehend the content of this moment, but the stillness was enough to point out its importance.

He looked away, opting instead to stare at his broken body with his broken eyes instead of Kamiko.

She whispered the word again as if trying to sound it out on her tongue. "被爆者. Explosion-affected people."

She did not speak for a long moment before she turned back to him and said so softly "Anata wa tsuyoidesu."

The words surprised him and he looked up with his mouth agape and his eyelids raised.

Even Time, who had still been frozen in the air; who had been watching in guilt what it had done to this boy five years before; even Time saw his surprise. It crossed its arms and smiled gently at Reo and said "Its true. You are."

And Reo blushed. He smiled even softer than silk and looked away. "Arigatō."

* * *

 _Nagasaki, Japan_

 _October 8, 1950_

"Tell me what is outside, Reo-kun?"

The teen smiled and used his cane to move to the window of his new home. He looked out and turned back to Kamiko, who sat on the futon, her clothed eyes staring at the empty space before her.

"There are people everywhere." He smiled at the colors and the music and the drums and the dancing. "Right now, Dutch is being represented in the Kunchi festival."

Her head turned. "Kunchi?"

A sheepish grin on his end. He had forgotten so easily, despite her healthy body, that Kamiko wasn't a survivor of the bombs. She had come from a nearby city, searching for nothing; everything. She hadn't been disturbed by dust or even ashes. She was free.

"Well in the 16th century, the festival originally began as a celebration of autumn harvest. But today, it is a shrine festival of Suwa Jinja. Chinese and Dutch culture have been very important in my home's vibrant history, so we have a large Chinese dragon dance and some floats are shaped as ships to represent the Dutch.

Nagasaki is a city of peace and diverse culture. Any culture is welcome."

Reo looked back to the lights outside. Nagasaki was such a peaceful city and never deserved what it got. His family deserved none of that.

"My family and I would go every year. We would purchase a hotel on October 7 and stay out and sing, dance, and rejoice until the 9th."

Kamiko smiled, her happiness rising because of the excited atmosphere he let off. "I wish you could go see it."

He waved his hand. "Nonsense. Why be there when I can be here with you?"

She let out a hearty laugh. "Hn. Keep flattering me and I might just marry you."

"Is that a hint that I should propose?"

"It's whatever you make of it, idiot."

He let another laugh tickle his stomach and the man came to sit on the couch beside her. Resting his elbow on the back of the couch, Reo hovered beside before he whispered, very close to her ear, "Kamiko, may I see your eyes?"

The woman smiled even softer now and began pulling off her bandages. She looked to him and muttered "you better not laugh at me."

Before he could reassure her, the bandage was already dropped to her lap and he stared at her very grey-white pupils. They were the whites of clouds before a violent storm, but they managed to shine.

He sighed and she crossed her arms defiantly. "I told you not to laugh."

He smiled. "I'm not." He grabbed her and pulled her into his chest. First his lips met her chin and then they covered her nose. And eyelids, and finally, they rested against her forehead and did not move away. "Keep the bandages off. You are beautiful."

They say quietly for a long time before Reo began to whisper in her ear about the bombing. And how he looked because she could not see. The man told her about the liver cancer and the scabs and the nose and the head and the cane.

He told her of his mother's beautiful eyes, his little Sasuke's sweet presence, and his father's marching boots.

He told her that he had spent the last five years of his life, both happy and sad, and still, he was wondering how was it possible. He did not lose his family as abruptly as the bombing. He lost them in pieces each time he remembered.

And Kamiko listened into the night before she leaned into him and whispered "Anata wa utsukushīdesu."

And for the very first time in five years of turmoil, he believed it.

* * *

 _1964_

When Reo Yamaguchi first met his wife, she had come from a place in Japan that was not bombed and she was healthy. She had come from Isahaya with the purpose of being a school teacher and was hit by a fast moving vehicle.

It had blinded her, but she still managed to become a teacher because even if she were blind, she was not Reo. She wasn't Hibakusha.

She did not have liver cancer like he and she did not have a life span so violently disrupted, she had lived to work and work only.

But Kamiko made him happier than he had ever been. He had tried to kill himself when he was fifteen because he missed his family and life so. He wanted out of the cruel world of being an orphan. He didn't want to be there.

But Kamiko, so sarcastic and collected, had made him laugh when there was nothing to laugh about.

Her parents did not want him. They said he was a broken man and they feared he would die soon because of the liver cancer.

But Kamiko said he made her feel wanted and she would damn them to hell before she left him.

After several years, they had accepted him and the two were married off.

Their first child had died in the womb. Kamiko's mother had told her the pain of giving birth and she decided that she would never the child while giving birth to keep her distracted. She had said Reo could name the child. And Reo had the most beautiful name in the grasp of his palm. But it wasn't enough, the excitement and hope. The child died after living for five months in the womb.

Reo was saddened and Kamiko was still optimistic, so they tried once more.

The second child was luckier, but not enough. It was a stillborn. Or she was a stillborn. Kamiko had called her Sumi, but was surprised when the child had been a blueish-grey when coming out. It did not cry or move around. It was a still child and it had been gone. They cremated her small body and Reo watched it turn to dust with a heavy heart.

Kamiko hurt a lot. She lashed out at him and blamed the radiation that rested in his body. She blamed his dying body, but she didn't mean it. She was only heartbroken that her second child would not be alive. Still, she did not try again.

The third and final child was not necessarily a mistake, but after the miscarriage in 1952, and the stillborn in 1954, the couple had stopped trying to have a child. They went through the process quietly, trying not to do what they had done in the last two pregnancies. And somehow, the baby lived.

Reo was given the honor of naming her. But he still didn't. Kamiko had given birth to the baby and given herself to death.

And her dying wish on that hospital bed was for the child to be named Mikoto. And Reo agreed, because although it was not the name he always wanted, Mikoto was the perfect name for a child that survived her grandparents, aunt, sisters, and mother.

Reo had just brought her home from the hospital and the house was chilly. So he went to the bathroom with her and turned on the hot water. There he sat with the child, trying to think of what to do next.

All his family was gone besides Mikoto, so he held her tightly and close and prayed.

"Virgin, most holy, Mother of the Word Incarnate, Treasurer of graces, and Refuge of sinners, I fly to your motherly affection with lively faith, and I beg of you the grace ever to do the will of God.

Into your most holy hands I commit the keeping of my heart, asking you for health of soul and body, in the certain hope that you, my most loving Mother, will hear my prayer.

Into the bosom of your tender mercy, this day, every day of my life, and at the hour of my death, I commend my soul and body.

To you I entrust all my hopes and consolations, all my trials and miseries, my life and the end of my life, that all my actions may be ordered and disposed according to your will and that of your Divine Son. Amen."

Mikoto whimpered and he realized he had pushed her away slightly during his prayer. The man shushed her, bringing her closer. "It's okay, Mikoto. Daddy has you."

* * *

 _Nagasaki prefecture_

 _Nagasaki, Japan_

 _July 22, 1984_

His life had been a better one with his little daughter. She brightened the mood better than the sun. Nothing got bad until she grew up.

Nothing happened until she was eight months pregnant with her second child.

Mikoto was a sweet child, much like Reo had always been. She would always make him food in the mornings and had often chosen to cling to him. Kamiko had always been very calm and collected, but she had a very smug nature about her that told the world she was too fantastic for Earth.

The only thing Mikoto had taken from her mother was her dark hair and very pale skin tone.

She was a sensitive child and always hid behind her father's legs when around people.

* * *

 _1969_

 _Reo checked the clock hanging on the wall and turned to the nanny. "I should be going to work now."_

 _He looked around, trying to find the small head of black hair that belonged to his quiet daughter. "Mikoto." He called. The child was nearing five years old and could not be around the large home by herself._

" _Daddy." The little girl called back. She ran to him from the living room, but hit his leg with her small face._

 _He smiled softly and rubbed her head, cooing to her gently. "Hey, pretty girl. Hi, queen. Isn't she so pretty?"_

 _The little girl smiled big then grabbed both sides of his legs. She face planted one of his legs and the bank teller could not help the words that left his mouth. "Aww. Are you shy?"_

 _He looked once more at the clock. "I really must leave. Mikoto, papa will return later okay. Be nice?"_

 _There was no asking her, Mikoto was the sweetest child he'd known in a very long time. She would never do one wrong._

 _Turning to the nanny, he spoke while rubbing his daughters head. "In forty minutes, she will lay on the floor upon her back and grow unresponsive to the world. She will ignore whatever is going on and stare blankly at the ceiling until you give her milk with almonds._

 _Not too many however because it makes her sick. She enjoys plucked grapes from the tree in the backyard, but she likes picking them with you. However, she won't eat the grapes. Mikoto likes when I put a lot of grapes in a bucket and she likes her feet to be cleaned at 12 so that she can smash the grapes."_

 _He could tell the woman was growing more confused by the words he said, but Mikoto's life as well as her happiness was important. And all needed to be said._

" _No matter what happens, Mikoto will fall asleep at exactly 12:30. No matter what she is doing. I myself have been surprised for years." He smiled fondly at some of his more worrying memories._

" _The first time it happened, I was watching her draw at the table and she just dropped. I rushed her to the hospital only to be told she was sleeping. But enough of that. When she wakes up, please give her the food I've already prepared. Please watch her when she goes in the bathroom. When she was two, she crawled into the bathroom on me before and has tried urinating while standing many times."_

 _The man inhaled. "All in all, she will be the perfect child to watch because she is indeed the perfect child. I really should be going. Bye Mikoto-"_

" _Nooo!" The girl hugged him even tighter, trying to hold onto the broken man._

 _He sighed. "Mikoto. I have to work so we can keep this house and the grape tree."_

" _Stay with you." she said reluctantly._

" _Queen, you know I can't spoil you." She lifted her hands. "Daddy? Carry you?" And his heart melted because she didn't really know the difference between you and me yet. He looked to the clock. Then looked to the nanny. Then back at Mikoto._

 _The man sighed as he leaned down and lifted the child. He pulled out a large sum of yen and handed it to the woman. "I am taking her to work with me. But you will still be paid for your troubles. I am sorry."_

 _The nanny smirked. "No worries. I could tell you wanted to take her all along."_

* * *

Mikoto had always been so sweet, which brought her many people who enjoyed her company, in particular Fugaku Uchiha.

He had fell in love with Mikoto when they were in the same school and he had married her when she was only 16.

Reo knew the turmoil of not being accepted by a family, so he accepted Fugaku Uchiha forthwith. He let Fugaku in and the man had given him a grandson.

Reo had always wanted to name the child, but Fugaku felt that he and Mikoto should have the privilege of naming their first two children. And then Reo could name away.

But life didn't work such a way. Fugaku had believed there were many more children to come, but he could not know of the devil's plans.

Because Mikoto was eight months pregnant when the devil killed him.

He worked in a factory. And Reo remembered spending years of his life urging Fugaku to rest. To let him know that although he was Hibakusha, his father led a regiment and the Imperial Japanese Army had given him compensation for his loss, injuries, and sanity.

But Fugaku never enjoyed handouts. He was a hardworking man. And once, he looked to Reo and said "father, I will work until it kills me."

And it did. It did, it did, it did. The accident at work had happened when Mikoto was eight months pregnant. And Fugaku did not make it to the hospital before he took a final breath.

Mikoto was eight months pregnant and it almost killed her. To have someone until you couldn't. And she had cried in her father's arms all night, now understanding his unhealed wounds when he spoke of a dead family and a dead wife.

Itachi had been very close to his father. And he was only cities away on the campus of his college. The teen had been rushing when he crashed.

And Mikoto was eight months pregnant when she lost her son too.

And that had been the final push.

Reo put his head down and wiped his nose gently with a cloth. He was no patient, but he was Hibakusha. And the doctors and nurses glanced as if he were the one that needed assistance.

He wasn't. He was only here for his daughter, who had collapsed and went into labor hours before.

It was now 3:24 AM in the hospital on July 23. He'd been here for several hours, waiting in that room for them to say that she and the baby were okay.

"Yamaguchi-san."

He looked up with hope. The doctor stood there with pity, holding an object that was wrapped like a child; held like a child.

His eyes filled with tears and he looked away. "No" he whispered.

"I'm sorry. We did all we could to save her."

"No." He croaked.

Mikoto was eight months pregnant when she died.

"I know this is hard for you. I know it will always be hard, after all you have lost, Yamaguchi-san. But Mikoto requested you take the child."

He looked up and the doctor walked even closer. "She asked that we did all we could to make you keep the child. And she asked that you name him."

The baby was handed to him and Reo whimpered. He held three babies in his life time and all were now gone.

The doctor nodded and left the room, saying he would give Reo time to name the boy and get used to him.

They were alone at last. And the child did not falter at the sight of his scabbed head, missing nostril. He did not cry out, but instead moved his hands all around.

He was strong. Collected and all the more reasoned for the storm.

Reo reached a hand up and touched the babies chin. And after long years of waiting, he whispered with his dead sister in the sky.

"I will call you Sasuke."

* * *

 _Kyushu, Japan_

 _Shiroyama Elementary school_

 _1992_

Sasuke held onto the man's leg as they stood out before the school. He didn't like that people stared at his grandfather. It made the eight year old sad and angry all at once. Papa didn't do anything and Sasuke didn't understand.

"Papa." He whispered, burrowing deeper into the man's leg. He was scared when a big woman scurried past, covering a smaller boy's eyes. He did not know why, but he knew these looks were not happy.

"Yes, Sasuke?" Reo questioned, looking down at the boy. He could hardly see the child since he was so buried in his leg.

"Why do they stare at you?" The boy mumbled.

Reo crouched as low as he could so that his grandson could stare at his bald head and missing nostril. He stared at the man, waiting for an explanation; for whatever Reo Yamaguchi had done so wrong for them to stare that way.

"Sasuke, do you know what dust is?"

The boy smiled excitedly at the quiz. How he loved the quizzes his grandfather gave on occasion. "Air particles."

Reo smiled too because Sasuke was so innocent, it hurt. "Well, for me, Sasuke, dust is a fine powder that builds up in a home. Dust can be a hassle. It contains human and animal hairs, textile fibers, paper fibers, and even human skin cells."

"Eww." Sasuke wrinkled his nose, but stood awkwardly when Reo did not laugh, as he would when Sasuke did this.

"Dust is filth but is in the air. And will always come naturally. Dust builds onto objects and makes them weaker. It latches onto objects and with time, those objects turn to dust too. As I've said, dust is a hassle. It is such a natural thing, but still it bothers everyone. I am dust, Sasuke. The Hibakusha are dust."

No longer confused, the child had chosen bewilderment.

And Reo laughed and pulled out his wallet. "It is almost time for school, Sasuke. Say goodbye to them."

The boy smiled and leaned forward, kissing three faces in Reo's wallet that gave him happiness. "Goodbye kaasan, bye tousan, bye aniki. Love you!"

With that, the little boy grabbed his box and ran to the door. Reo shook his head with a smile before he too began to walk off.

"Papa!"

He turned. Sasuke was waving brightly at him, causing attention to himself. "Love you. See you after school!"

* * *

 _Nagasaki University_

 _Bunkyo Campus_

 _Outside General Education and Research Building_

 _2002_

"Hai. Hai." Sasuke smiled, holding the phone to his ear. "I am being very careful off campus. What?... I can't watch my surroundings if I'm on the phone with you….Okay. Bye. Watashi mo aishiteruyo."

Sasuke hung up and shook his head. His grandfather was so protective at times. But he loved the man; more than anything in the world.

The boy remembered every lesson. The dust. The bomb. The deaths. The Hibakusha. His grandfather was one of the explosion affected people and for that, he'd been punished with social degradation.

He had faced discrimination when it was unneeded. Because he was right when Sasuke was eight.

The dust had caught onto him and ruined Reo both physically and mentally when he was just 13. He had lost his world and happiness. It should have happened that way. The dust was supposed to do that; latch onto him. It was a natural side effect of an artificial disaster. But it bothered people. Because the dust didn't belong amongst them.

Unexpectedly and instantaneously, Sasuke's thoughts of human nature had earned him a knock on his shoulder. He grimaced and grabbed it because, dammit it really did hurt.

He turned around. The man who had hit him was already pushing along in his path, his deep voice heated upon the phone.

"Kare o taosu." He growled.

Sasuke glared hard at the blond head of hair and almost growled. But he degraded himself at the last minute by letting out a very hissy remark.

"If I wasn't paying attention, _you_ should have moved out of the way, Usuratonkachi."

The man stopped in his path. "Matsu." He muttered. He turned to Sasuke, his face not angry at all, but his eyes so intense, Sasuke's stomach dropped.

 _Why did all the gorgeous ones have to be idiots?_ He questioned to God.

The man was obviously older then him, though not by much. Maybe two or three years. His maturity wasn't in his looks, but the way he carried himself.

His suit was fitting to his form and it looked to he well tailored. His face was chiseled almost perfectly by the looks of his jawline and his nose was prominent. On his hollowed cheeks were small scars that somehow made him even more handsome. His blue eyes looked much like sapphire stones, shining like gems. And he knew they would have been even more beautiful if they hadn't been staring at him like this. The man didn't need to hold his lips in a frown, those blue eyes did it all for him.

 _Idiot_.

Sasuke didn't back down. No matter how beautiful this man was, he demanded respect.

The other raised a hand in a stopping motion and Sasuke watched his blue eyes trail worriedly to another place...to a young man that sat away from this scene, upon the bench, tapping his knee, dark glasses on. It looked as if he were watching them.

The Education student turned back to the man before him, who finally spoke directly to him. "Do you know who I am?"

The question wasn't threatening, but Sasuke could detect conceit all around him.

So he scowled. "No."

The man nodded. Then he checked his expensive watch. "Good. You don't know me. I could set your world on fire and call it rain."

Sasuke fought the urge to roll his eyes because he almost believed the man. There was something about this man that told him he _was_ dangerous. "Whatever. Are you even a student here?"

The man put his hands in his pockets, but not before he flicked a finger in the air. And the fellow that had been sitting with his eyes covered stood and left quickly. Sasuke raised a brow and the man smirked at him. And by the Gods, when was the last Sasuke had seen someone this beautiful? "You wish. I saw you staring."

And Sasuke glared hard because that wasn't what he meant.

His face turned a deep shade of red and instead of laughing, the man grew interested, as if the color intrigued him so. Sasuke swallowed a lump before saying with coolness "oh please. You were staring too."

The man smirked big at him. "What's your name, kid?"

* * *

 **Japanese words used here:**

Nani ga translates to "what…" this was Reo's confusion when he saw the plane go over head.

Anata no sūpu o sugu ni motte ikimasu translates to "I will bring your soup immediately."

 _Hibakusha_ means explosion affected people. It was a term for survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings. Hibakusha were discriminated against heavily.

Anata wa tsuyoidesu means "you are strong." This is what Kamiko says to Reo after he says he is Hibakusha.

Anata wa utsukushīdesu translates to "you are beautiful."

Watashi mo aishiteruyo: "I love you too."

Matsu means wait.

When Naruto is on the phone, he says "Kare o taosu." And this means beat him. Naruto was literally ordering a man to be beat over the phone. Don't ask me how Sasuke missed that. I guess because he's Sasuke.

 **Gold dust is a term used for Cocaine when people speak on the streets quietly about it. It is in direct contravention with its appearance.**

 **And don't my name XD. Sasuke is actually a common female name as well.**

 **I'm sure everyone saw how the dust from the bombing affected Reo's life. From losing his appearance, family, and sanity, Reo tried his entire life to work through it. From trying to have a child, to becoming a bank teller, to raising Mikoto and Sasuke.**

 **To confirm, I've done some research and there was really no compensation for the Hibakusha. But I wanted a way for Reo to at least provide a nice life for Mikoto and Sasuke. And this is Fanfiction.**

" **Anything's possible so long as you don't know it's impossible."**

 **Does that even work here?**

 **Also, Catholicism is very huge in Nagasaki. I tried to instill that culture when Reo began using a Catholic prayer for good health when Mikoto was born.**

 **I understand that this chapter is about 6000 shorter than the last, but Reo's life was more fast paced. There was bad thing after bad thing for him. And yht sudden changes of scene and time helps you realize.**

 **Big thing I missed in the last chapter, the American Rapper Naruto heard on the radio was Jay-Z. And the song was called dead presidents. Keep this in mind for later please.**

 **Naruto's fascination with the color red was again brought here. When Sasuke blushed a deep red, he became more interested in Sasuke.**

 **Well here it is, the beginning of everything. Thanks for reading, following, favoriting and reviewing so far. You guys make me feel like something. And I know a lot of authors say this, but I literally mean it. When I come look at the stats, every number counts. That's what keeps me writing.**


	3. Schoolboy

**Schoolboy**

 **The reactions to my story are amazing. The follows are superb, the favorites are outstanding, and the reviews are out of this world. Not only do they give me support, but when my readers have suggestions that are helpful, they keep the story interesting.**

 **Thank you you, guest Wow. I'm really glad yo like the backstories for Naruto and Sasuke's families. I wanted to try something other than the usual "too close to canon" backstory.**

 **And thanks Yami heart. When I thought about showing how Naruto and Sasuke would go about their lives, I wanted the main influencer to be something that their grandparents dealt with. And both Maso and Reo dealt with the Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. And that shows in the way Naruto and Sasuke are living their lives now.**

 **To the wonderful guest who goes by the name of Dark, thank you. I'm sticking by this saying "Behind every great writer, is an even better reader." Although you stated a recurring flaw in most of my stories, I'm glad you noticed.**

 **Through every story, I have had the trouble of writing Sasuke as a main character that can die at any moment and no readers would cry. Meaning that I literally write him with no real backstory or emotions.**

 **My biggest challenge is writing Sasuke, but you, Dark, have actually given me something to work with. Thank you. I will try my hardest to give Sasuke his own story. Because like Naruto, Sasuke freaking deserves it.**

 **Also, thank you guys so much for letting me know that my writing is pretty good. From describing the horrors of the bombings so well to having a knack for choosin interesting topics. I always try to do something different. And it's readers like you that really push me forward and keep those very intimate ideas going. I didn't know what reaction I would get for writing about actual atomic bombings, as I didn't what reaction I would get for making a main character intellectually disabled in A Most Beautiful Mind. But my readers always support me and that's where the ideas stem from.**

 **"Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes."**

 **I'm a misfit. Someway or another, I'm always going to place growing issues into my lovely romantic Narusasu fics. So thank you guys. Behind every great writer is an even better reader.**

* * *

The man smirked big at him. "What's your name, kid?"

Sasuke's brows furrowed because this man had made no notion of actually being interested in their conversation. And he was sure the blond would have continued to walk if Sasuke had not spoke upon it. So why was his name important?

Reo-oji's soft words flittered through his head like life changing electricity, leaving behind a mark and an everlasting shock. _Be careful on that campus, Sasuke? There is nothing more dangerous in this world then itself. Kikoe, shōnen?_

And still temptation was a heavy thing. Yes, it was unwise to give a stranger his name, especially one that did not look harmless. It was wrong to outright give a man your name when he'd been nothing but rude and arrogant. But Sasuke was just Sasuke; and Sasuke didn't see a problem.

"Sasuke." He muttered, hoarse and throaty. "Sasuke Uchiha."

Those blue eyes trailed over his very baggy sweatpants, the ones Sasuke saved for very special days like lab days and no classes afterward. Then to his plain black t-shirt. And he said with disinterest "By the looks of it, _you_ must go here."

And Sasuke hid his bewilderment first thing. He wasn't going to let this stranger get a hold of his emotions and play them like a game. He would win this, no matter how long it took.

Cooly, he responded. "Well, I'm sorry we can't all look like the poster child for Adolf Hitler's propaganda."

He almost flinched when the man's mouth opened wide. And he laughed very loudly. The man laughed heartily and Sasuke's scowling face turned into a soft smile. Because really, laughter was something that could make anyone fall in love with you.

Sasuke looked at his watch and grimaced. "I'm sorry. I should really be getting to class. Yugito-sama is giving out an important Lab today."

Naruto smirked. "Hey, just hold on. Don't worry about it. I'll handle it. Aren't you going to ask for my name?"

Sasuke shook his head with an awkward face. "No."

Another laugh from the man. "My name is Namikaze. Namikaze Naruto."

For a moment, Sasuke's eyes went wide because that name was so familiar, but he could not place it. He was sure he heard it once, but where? "Ugh… Do I know you?"

Naruto's eyes went over Sasuke's body once more, this time Sasuke did not see; this time quickly. The man sighed as if he desired something that he could not have and stuck his hands in the pockets of his suit pants once more. "Damn. I wish."

Once more, Sasuke was taken by surprise and he looked around at the buildings and statues to cover his blush. "I'm not an object." He muttered. "I'm an eighteen year old man. You can't flatter people and expect them to be swayed. In fact, it's getting weird. Who are you if you don't attend this college?"

Naruto laughed again, his head going up and his eyes squinting and his mouth wide. He was genuinely amused by Sasuke and that made Sasuke feel beautiful.

"Sasuke-san. I never flatter people. Nice meeting you."

He watched Naruto flick his hand and the most astonishing thing happened. Four men and women, who Sasuke had assumed were just casual walker byers, had stood from what they had been doing. Some were casually drinking coffee and reading. Others had been writing and no one person was close.

Sasuke watched them all stand and move off in the direction of Naruto's path, who was now gone. He felt confused all of a sudden. Who was that man, Namikaze Naruto and why, with just a flick of a limb, could he control up to five men? Why was he here at Sasuke's college, casually walking around?

"Sasuke!"

Broken from his daze, Sasuke looked up. The voice belonged to his roommate and longtime friend, Neji, who had come to this college with Sasuke and also decided to room with him. Sasuke swallowed the lump that Naruto had put in his throat.

"Konnichiwa." He muttered.

Neji smiled. "Why are you just standing here? We have class. Do you want professor Yugito to have our heads?"

The final question had made Sasuke blink. Because the world was dangerous and even the slightest remark made him think about.

The words came back to him at full force. " _I could set your world on fire and call it rain."_

"Hey do you know anyone that goes here by the name of Namikaze? I think I just met one of their family members."

Neji turned his head in incertitude. "Namikaze? Like the cartel?"

And Sasuke blinked evenly.

* * *

 _Nagasaki, Japan_

 _2001_

 _Sasuke placed the last box full of his dorm items by the door in the living room. He grunted as he went down and removed his sandals. Sitting on the carpet next to his grandfather, the teen whispered._

" _I am finished packing for tomorrow, Oji. And now we can drink tea."_

 _Reo smiled and crossed his legs on the futon, leaning forward to grab a small glass of the hot caffeinated substance._

 _The hue and brightness that their small television let off made Sasuke pay attention to it._

 _There was a female anchor from the Japan News Network speaking on current issues._

 _Her face was solemn, meaning that she spoke on issues that hurt people emotionally._

" _The war on drugs and gun violence in Japan is bigger than it has ever been since the country's founding. What started as a small street gang in Tokyo, drugs have spread across all of Japan in a span of ten years._

 _Today, all charges against Karin Namikaze have been dropped in the gruesome murder of Fey Tadashi, a man found torn apart by two supply trucks. No evidence was found against the Namikaze cartel and Fey's family has mysteriously dropped all charges."_

 _Sasuke looked away from the television. He smiled softly at his grandfather and raised the tea in the air. "Nomimashou."_

* * *

Sasuke blinked heavily. How had he not known? The news channel was the only thing he and Oji ever watched, so how could he forget the increasing war on drugs and gun violence that all started in Kabukichō, Tokyo.

Where the Namikaze cartel had displayed its name to the world.

Neji looked to him seriously. "Sasuke, did you see anyone from the cartel? _On this campus?"_

Sasuke inhaled sharply, now feeling under pressure, now feeling like he had to choose between protecting Naruto or whoever on campus the man was obviously after.

But why should he be faced with the epidemic? He was sure everyone noticed the blond hair and blue eyes; he was sure everyone noticed the power around the man unlike any they'd seen.

And finally making a choice, the Uchiha whispered softly. "Namikaze? Did I say Namikaze? No I didn't mean that. I-it must have been someone else."

Neji eyed him, unconvinced, but still let it go. "Come on. We're late."

* * *

Professor Yugito wasn't pleased that Sasuke and Neji were late to their lab, but he said nothing as the two scurried to their seats.

Sasuke grunted silently as he placed his bag under his desk and pulled the goggles over his neck.

He sat by Neji as Yugito moved to the board. "Now that the royal family is here, we can get started."

And few students let giggles leave their mouths and Sasuke turned his head sharply, a harsh glare on his face.

And surprisingly, they stopped. He almost smirked at his own power before he noticed it had gotten too silent.

Before, the students that feared his glaring eyes and superior nature would look away, uncomfortable in their skin. Now, they stared past Sasuke; behind him to the front of the room.

He blinked in rapid confusion, not understanding the sudden mood change. It had gone ghastly noiseless and remarkably gauche. Even a drop of a pen would resemble the waterfall. Even a relaxed shoulder would seem improper.

"I need to speak with you, Yugito."

His breath clamped in his throat; his heart plunged to his stomach, hiding behind the water that had been there.

Neji whispered next to him, his milky eyes bond to the front as well. "Ā Kami, Sasuke." He whispered.

Sasuke turned his head slowly, watching the man in the doorway as he waited patiently. It seemed all guilty words were coming back to him one way or another. Because really, how could Naruto have handled Sasuke being late to his own lab?

" _Don't worry. I'll handle it."_

Naruto had known Yugito and Sasuke hadn't even noticed. And apparently, professor Yugito knew him as well. Because the man stood there, not baffled, but frozen. Not surprised, but afraid. Sasuke could almost see the blood running running running through the man's arteries. He could almost see the sweat mingle on his head.

And finally, as if that ice melted from his system, Yugito's first question was a heated "How did you get here?"

Naruto shook his head and pushed his hands in his pockets. "It should not concern you how. I need to speak with you."

Yugito did not think over the words. He did not hesitate. Simply he shook his head and gripped his table as if it would grasp back. "I will not go with you, Ōmo."

Sasuke looked between the two, confusion borderlining fear. But there was something else. Sasuke was interested. He'd heard of the things the Namkaze were known for, but would Naruto himself show their power before 100 college students?

The total absence of sound was unbearable. Sasuke knew silence. Silence was having to take his dying grandfather to the hospital, sometimes at ungodly hours of the night. And Reo would breath through a tube because who would give a Hibakusha a lung? And Sasuke would watch in fear because when he looked at his grandfather, he told God, "some days I want him to live….some days I don't."

Silence was Sasuke sitting in his room when there was nothing else to do. And he would stare at the strangers called Mikoto, Fugaku, and Itachi as they sat smiling on his dresser. And sometimes he wondered, if they really loved him like Oji said, why didn't they try harder to be alive?

Silence was the sound of absolutely nothing. And it was more painful and lonely than any other sound in the world.

He watched Naruto reach forward and lift a flap of his suit. "I have done nothing in our years of knowing one another, but show you hospitality. And for you to do what you-"

And sometimes, silence was enough to save someone's life. Naruto had turned at the last second to the crowded room of students; aspiring engineers, doctors, lawyers, teachers. All staring intently; some in fear, some in hate. But none more intense than the dark eyes that watched with disappointment.

The young boy he'd met on his way to retrieve Yugito. The defiant one. The one who had made Naruto feel like an asshole without even knowing him.

Sasuke had always been smart. And when Naruto's roaming blue eyes had stopped, he knew they ceased in shock because of him. He stared at Naruto, waiting for him to continue; waiting for him to reach further into his suit.

He could feel Neji's sharp eyes on him, but he couldn't look away. So Naruto did for him.

The blond cleared his throat. He looked back to the professor in contempt. "Very well. I did not wish to do this."

The only sound allowed was the click of Naruto's shiny shoes on the floor as he stepped away from Yugito. The door opened and five men.

The _Kōban was a small neighborhood police station that housed about three to five official police officers. They were usually the first in line for police response in a community. At Bunkyo campus, the policemen housed reached a max of twenty men and women._

Sasuke watched as the silent men handcuffed his professor and left the room, a quiet as they had come, leaving Naruto to deal with the aftermath.

He took the moment to evaluate the man's desk, picking up photos of his family, and grimacing when he touched dust that had accumulated. The man grabbed another photo and sat on the desk, staring at it with remorse, remembrance, and betrayal. He frowned deeply and threw the picture on the floor with disdain and force.

Sasuke raised a perfect brow when he watched the glass that had so well protected and cherished the photograph shattered into small pieces, mixing with the dust.

Naruto sighed. "Soon, you will have conversations with your families, peers, and professors about the arrest of your Chemistry professor. You will skip over what just happened and you will forget that I was even in this room; that I was on this campus. People will say that there was a rumor about my being here, but I have faith that all of you will deny that."

It was a vague few sentences, but everyone got the order. Naruto Namikaze was never on campus the day Kiso Yugito was arrested.

There was a faint murmur in the back, one that would not be heard if silence was not still sitting in one of the empty seat.

"What did he do? Why did the police arrest him?"

Sasuke watched Naruto laugh. But there was no amusement. Only a bitter one that made the outer edges of his mouth stick to his teeth when they shouldn't have.

"Your professor is the common victim of a double life. You know him as a professor of Nagasaki University. I know him as a cocaine manufacturer for the Namikaze cartel. Yugito knows how to manipulate people and I gave him the power to do so. And he was so greedy in this power, he believed he could manipulate _me._ " Naruto laughed in amusement. "At least he wanted to."

Those sharp blue eyes came back to Sasuke and the man stood. "And when you really want something, you take it. Even if it kills you."

"What will you do to him?"

The moment was ruined and Sasuke scowled unconsciously. Naruto's eyes roamed the side of the room before asked heatedly. "Who asked that?"

No one said a thing.

"Anata no shita ga kieru...Mite inai baai." Naruto sighed, now upset. Or had he already been upset? Sasuke didn't understand? He couldn't read the man. "Anyway. You can all go back to your dorms. Class dismissed."

It must have been a joke because Naruto snorted when no one laughed. He looked to Sasuke with a big smirk and said "too soon?" And then he was gone as abruptly as he had come, rushing and startling.

This time, Sasuke could not avoid Neji's stare at the students began filing out. The Hyūga looked concerned as he touched Sasuke's shoulder. "I thought you said you didn't meet a Namikaze."

* * *

They did not meet again until the next week. Sasuke was working his shift at the local Hyuuga cafe on Sunday. Sunday was a slow day as always.

Nagasaki was the Catholic heart of Japan. If people were not at the masses, they were home preparing their Sunday meals for the soft night.

Hyuuga cafe was not busy on a regular Sunday. Sure there were the occasional four students that came in to study for hours, but none of them had really come for anything but coffee.

Sasuke himself had nothing to do but read his textbook as he studied for his next Political Science exam. Of course Neji was gracious enough to land him a good paying job at his father's cafe, and he expected Sasuke to work very hard, but Sasuke had nothing else to do around the small shop.

And he'd be damned if any of his 19 credit hours went to waste. He was an aspiring lawyer and nothing but death would keep him from that.

The sound of bell above the door rung loudly and Sasuke turned the page, writing notes swiftly. "Hello valued customer." He spoke with as much enthusiasm as he could, but it never reached new heights. "What would you like today?"

The voice that followed sent a tremor through his entire body and Sasuke let out a guttural shock when he looked up.

"A moment if your time, if it isn't too much."

And sharply once more, he looked up, dropping his pen upon his book. Naruto Namikaze must have held a death wish for coming back to campus just a day after Kiso Yugito was found missing. Of course no one had said a thing about him being on campus, but why had he come back? Did someone say anything and he had come back to take down every occupant of that classroom?

Sasuke said nothing, just opted to stare at the man in shock. He was still extremely handsome, his blue eyes the most valuable thing about him. Sasuke wanted to tell the world, who may have felt discouraged, that he'd found the sapphire mine that they searched for. They were in his eyes, those pretty pretty pretty ocean eyes.

Naruto lifted a hand up. "Well?"

Broken from his daze, the 18 year old shook his head in a sad manner. "I can't. I'm sorry. I don't wanna anger the boss."

Naruto smiled at him and leaned on the counter. "Bring him here. I'll ask." He and Sasuke eyed one another, so he turned his head to the side. "Please."

Sasuke turned around. "Hyūga-sama!"

There was shuffling in the back before Hizashi came out with a large smile. "Yes, Sasuke. Is anything wrong?"

Naruto raised a hand to draw attention to himself. "Nothing is wrong out here. He's actually doing very great. I was just wondering if there was someone else that could take his place for a minute. I'd like to sit with him, if it's alright."

Hizashi thought about it for a moment, his eyes squinting in thought, his lips upturned, before he smiled happily. "Of course. Of course. I'll have Neji take his shift since we aren't busy tody."

Naruto smiled at the older man while Sasuke grabbed his book and found a small coffee booth toward the back of the cafe.

He could hear Hizashi laugh at something Naruto said and he could hear the man shuffle off muttering "what a nice young man."

Sasuke looked up from his textbook as Naruto began to stride over. The blond placed a hand on his chest. "I ask you to sit with me and you bring your book?"

Sasuke shook his head. "I have an exam in Political Science in a month and it's very important going toward my degree."

Naruto sat. "What do you want to be? What are you going to school for?"

"I'm going for a law degree."

"Ooh."

Sasuke looked from his book once more, feeling the need to explain this. "Yes, but I want to be a civil rights lawyer. I want to help people protect their rights or help them recover if their civil rights have been trampled on. People who are discriminated against or people who have been the victims of wrongdoing."

Naruto stared in interest before he asked a question Sasuke wasn't ready to speak upon. "You are very dedicated, Sasuke. What made you want this profession?"

Sasuke licked his now chapped lips. _My grandfather grew up in an upper class neighborhood. And because of an atomic bomb, he was not given all that belonged to him._

"It is a very personal." He murmured.

Naruto nodded. "Oh. Alright. I'm sorry for asking."

"It's fine."

They let noiselessness be their friend and it sat at that coffee table by their sides until it grew bored.

Naruto smiled at him. "Do you work in this cafe everyday?"

Casually, the raven shook his head. "No. I'm doing 19 credit hours which is a really big challenge. So I only work here on Wednesday, and the weekends. And breaks if my grandfather visits."

Sasuke just realized what he said and he facepalmed himself with a hiss of "kuso."

Naruto smiled even bigger. "Now that I know your schedule, you'll be seeing a lot of me around here."

Sasuke groaned. "No. I hardly know you and I think I've seen enough."

A laugh from the underground criminal. "You wanted this. You wouldn't have told me if you didn't."

Sasuke just shrugged and turned after a full page in his notes. "Hn. Can I ask you something?"

Naruto leaned forward. "As long as you don't ask me to leave…" he whispered. "Sasuke you can ask me anything."

 _What is with this guy?_

Sasuke shook his head. "Those men weren't police officers were they? The ones that arrested professor Yugito?"

Naruto's mouth opened in an O shape and that was all the confirmation Sasuke needed. "How did you know that?"

"Because. During arrest, police are required to say two things. That the suspect has the right to remain silent and they are allowed to have an attorney."

Naruto smirked. "A damn good lawyer you'll be." Sasuke smiled. "No. They weren't police officers."

"But it said on the news that he was arrested."

"I control the news."

Sasuke stared at Naruto for the longest moment before simply asking "what do you do for a living?"

Naruto sighed. "We both know the answer to that. I'm a decent man and I export flowers."

And despite the meaning it made Sasuke smile. "Like Pablo Escobar?"

Naruto placed his hands on the sides of his head as a surrender motion. "I never said that."

Sasuke smirked and leaned even closer as a challenge. "You don't have to, idiot."

And the lids of those blue eyes opened so wide for a brief moment before his lips widened even more. His eyes squinted and his teeth were showing and he was laughing.

Sasuke looked down at his book because he didn't want to be caught staring.

"Oh my God….haha… The insult never ceases to surprise."

When his laughter died out, he opted to stare at the studying Sasuke before finding the right words.

"Okay, Sasuke. I'm sure you want to study for your exam. So I will leave you alone to work...only if…" Sasuke was interested now. "I would like to take you on a date."

Sasuke blushed heavily then. If all things Naruto would want, he didn't expect that. Although, he did remember how all the kids in school, boy and girl, would call him handsome.

"A... what?"

"Anata wa utsukushīdesu."

He was awkward and antisocial, so there was nothing to do but put his face in the large book that lay upon the table.

He heard Naruto laugh again. And he looked back up. "How is this funny?"

The blond laughed once more. "I don't know. So what do you say? A date with me?"

Reluctantly on the outside, but flattered on this inside, Sasuke agreed. "Fine."

"Fine." Naruto stood and lifted his hand as he tipped an invisible hat. "Ah'll be seein' you around beautiful. Number's on the napkin for details."

Sasuke face must have been redder than ever when Naruto left the store. A few other students were smiling at him so the Uchiha picked up his books and abruptly went to the register again.

* * *

Sasuke sat on his bed speaking with his grandfather just minutes before Naruto said he would arrive.

"Have you gone to the clinic?"

" _The clinic."_ Reo asked softly and somewhat mischievously. " _What about it?"_

Sasuke's eye twitched. "What do you mean, what about it? You have to go every week."

" _I forgot."_

"Oji. You didn't forget." The man sighed on the other end.

" _I know."_

"Oji. I know you hate the hospital, but you have to go every week so that they can keep you healthy." Sasuke bit his tongue before he said _so they can keep you alive._

Once the doctors had told Sasuke that Reo would die when he was 64. In 1996. Well, 1996 passed and now they say "any day now."

Oji could die any day now.

Sasuke coughed, but it came out as a choked sob because as he said some days he wanted him to live. Some days he didn't.

He heard his grandfather sigh. " _Sasuke."_

"No." The raven cried. "Because it's like you want to die. You don't want to go to the hospital. You don't want to take your medicine. And I know it's hard, but you always act like it'll be easy to lay down and die. You act as if you won't leave anything or anyone behind."

Sasuke was like this. It was easy for him to get upset about things that mattered to him.

" _Sasuke, don't say those things. I do care. And I always take care of myself. Sasuke don't ever think that I just want to pay down and die. Don't think I want to leave you behind."_

Sasuke sniffed and pulled his knees to his chest. He was glad Neji was at the library studying because he'd be extremely embarrassed. "Tokiniha sore wa sonoyōni omoeru."

" _Don't think like that. Sasuke, until you are finished with college, and happy with a job, only then will I lay down and die. I promised your mother that I would raise you until you find yourself. Sasuke, I love you."_

The Uchiha sighed.

Reo laughed. " _Sasuke, I love you."_

Again, a sigh. "Watashi mo anata o aishitemasu, papa."

A soft knock on his door made Sasuke jump. "Oji. I have to go. I'll call you later."

"Okay."

He hung up quickly, standing with a soft smile. Opening the door, the Uchiha smiled and grabbed his jacket.

Naruto stood there, and although he wasn't in a full suit, casual wasn't a way to put the suit pants and tuxedo vest. His black eyes went down to his orange Pizzicato Five hoodie, his skinny black ripped jeans and his black combat boots.

"You never said wear anything formal." He hissed.

Naruto looked baffled and he placed a hand on his chest. "Well…you never said wear anything casual." He snorted afterward, but Sasuke began tapping his foot, unamused. The blond raised his hands. "Look. Don't worry, alright? You're dressed for the occasion and I'm not. I just had a small meeting with a friend. You look great, okay?"

Sasuke closed his dorm door and pushed past the man softly. "Hn. You don't need to tell me that. I know I look great."

He looked back to Naruto and the two began laughing quietly. Naruto pushed his head out as if to set a general direction. "This way to the car."

They walked quietly to the parking space across the street for students. Sasuke blinked evenly at the shiny maroon vehicle in the parking lot. It looked like something from one of those very old American films.

"What kind of car is this?"

Naruto smiled. "A 1955 Chrysler Imperial. An American classic."

Sasuke smiled, rubbing a slim finger across the pretty metal. "It's gorgeous."

He continued walking around the car, until his finger was stopped by the sight of Naruto's grey slacks. He looked up toward the shocking blue eyes.

Naruto was staring at him. "Do you like it?" The Uchiha nodded. Naruto leaned closer and smirked. "I could buy you thousands of these things."

Sasuke smiled softly, trying to laugh off his growing nerves. They were going to swallow him whole of he didn't control it.

"I thought you said you weren't the charmer." He mocked softly, but it was more of a tease that liked to play with soft cotton.

Naruto laughed. "I thought you said you weren't easily swayed."

Sasuke laughed. "I'm not. Anyway, should we?"

Naruto opened the passenger door. "Yeah." He waited until Sasuke was fully into the car before he closed the door and began walking to the other side.

The blond moved around the back. Casually, he looked in the rearview window with hope, which for a cartel leader, didn't mean a thing.

Hope was an extremely dangerous emotion, especially for a man like him to have. It was the beam of light in the inky corner of the universe, straining as the darkness tried to hang him with the ropes made of stardust. Hope was some kind of promise that in that beam of light, was a world unlike the darkness. Hope didn't mean a thing. It shouldn't be in a world like Naruto's, with famine, war, crime, and death. Hope wasn't a real thing and because of that, it did not count on humans as much as they counted upon it. It shouldn't be a promise that smiles were around the corner; but it was. It shouldn't matter to people, but it did. And that was the irony of it all.

And Naruto felt like another man as he stared into the back window with anticipation, hoping for something while hope himself slept.

* * *

 _Kabukichō, Tokyo_

 _1986_

 _Misaji tightened the knotted sheet around his waist when he felt his nephew slipping upon his back. The man smiled when the little boy giggled softly._

" _Is that good, nephew?"_

" _Mine blanket?"_

" _Yes. This is your blanket."_

 _He watched a small naked arm come from the blanket to point at the small television, on it a romantic drama. "Tee be." The boy called. "Show on tee bee, uncwow. See? Show on tee be."_

 _Misaji looked to the television and watched the woman turn away from the man harshly, with tears in her eyes. She talked about belief. The belief that he loved her. The belief that things would get better in their relationship. The belief that wasn't belief at all, just disappointment._

 _The man made sure his nephew was secure upon his back before he went to the television and turned down the volume. Naruto was still blabbering about what was on and he smiled. "Eh, all that doesn't mean anything Naruto. Romance is a funny thing and there really is no way of knowing if someone loves you for you."_

 _The three year old tried copying his words. "Bunny. Bunny bunny. Funny bunny."_

" _Hey, when you get older. If you really want to see if a girl's the one, you give her the door test." Naruto grew quiet then, probably done with repeating the words his uncle whistled out too fast, and too advanced for him to comprehend._

" _You let her in the car first by unlocking the passenger door with your keys. That way, the driver seat is still unlocked. Go around the back so you can check. And if this chick leans over to unlock your door, she's definitely the one, alright, kid?"_

 _But Naruto wasn't listening; he was stuck in his own childlike world, trying to find words to learn._

* * *

His uncle Misaji's door test had absolutely no logic. It was bizarre. And Naruto wished he wasn't so naive as a child to still believe it. How could a faithful partner be guaranteed through a locked door? The man sighed as stood, feeling like less of a man than he already had, but his stomach twisted under his vest when he saw Sasuke's head turn.

He was anxious now and felt the need to move without end. Everything felt like a fantasy. And the world disappeared for a moment. His mouth opened as Sasuke leaned over and pulled the lock up on his door. And Naruto exhaled. The only thing that told him he was still awake was the sound of the door unlocking. So the world was there too, coursing through his veins as if it hitched a ride on his blood cells.

He lifted a hand as he jumped. "Yes!"

* * *

"You brought me to an arcade." Sasuke murmured as he got out of the car. He tried to hide his excitement because he and Neji had been saving up all week to go to this new arcade. They had promised to spend all their money on a whole day there. He wanted to scream with the strength and excitement of a flock of migrating birds. He wanted to dance and run in immediately to see what games awaited him.

But he held his composure as Naruto stared at it.

"I thought you college kids liked these kinds of things." He began to follow Naruto to the front door.

"We do. It's just, geez. I've never been here and my friends tell me its awesome and I was saving up for it and I've always been busy with classes-"

"You're babbling." Naruto snorted.

"Hn. I know one thing." Sasuke murmured as they walked in. Naruto looked to him questioningly. "You definitely aren't dressed for the occasion."

He and Naruto smirked at one another before they began looking around. It was extremely vacant and Sasuke bit his lip because he'd thought his first time here would be more lively than this. He imagined geeks running around and kids screaming. Instead he was met with his good friend Silence, who had seen him and come at once. "It's very vacant."

"Of course. I closed it for the day so we can play free."

"You closed it? How did the owner agree to that?"

Naruto smiled. "It was easy to persuade him. I am him."

His dark eyes widened when the words sunk into him, anchors tied to their legs. "Anata wa kono basho o shoyū shite imasu ka? No you don't."

Naruto smirked. "Wanna bet?"

Sasuke smiled in a way that he smiled with his teeth; they showed more than his lips and he said "you don't own this place." But now, he wasn't sure about the statement.

"I do."

"Prove it."

Naruto pointed behind him. The teen turned around and froze, blinking at the photograph of Naruto with a few school children crouched before him. They all smiled brightly at the camera, as if their dreams could come true. Naruto walked closer to the picture with a small smile of pride. "Yup. The arcade down the street expected poor children to spend money on things like food and tokens. And on top of that, they expected kids to stay at entire day. So we built this place from the ground up."

The way he spoke about was passionate and fierce, as if he really did care about why the arcade was built. Like he really did care about poor and poverty stricken.

"That's very nice." Sasuke murmured. Sasuke had never given out because he had nothing to give, so he could not understand the joys of doing good deeds, but he felt Naruto's passion like heat upon his neck in summer. His eyes skimming the arcade games, the raven ceased all movement.

"Is that Cosmic Chasm?"

Both men stared at the black game with paint on it's side with very low space graphics.

Sasuke smiled big as he moved to the game and began touching it. "Dō yatte?" He questioned. "I haven't seen one of these since I was a child. I was the best at this. No one could beat me, not even Neji."

"I bet I could beat you. I mean, it wouldn't be here for nothing." Naruto came over and turned on the game, taking the moment to unfasten the buttons on his wrist.

Sasuke smirked. "Oh please, idiot."

"You've got a lot of talk, Sasuke."

"Yeah?"

"How about you put your money where your mouth is?"

* * *

"Noooooo!"

"Yeeessss!"

And that was how the night moved on. Naruto lost numerous times to Sasuke at Cosmic Chasm because apparently, Sasuke really was the best.

He turned to the Uchiha, whose arms were in the air, in envy. "Well, now that I've lost more than fifty times, would you like to eat. The pizza should be done."

Sasuke nose scrunched softly when he heard the name of the fatty food. "Pizza?"

Naruto raised a brow. "This _is_ an arcade, schoolboy."

Sasuke blushed heavily at the nickname. "You call me kid a lot and I'm sure we're around the same age."

"I'm 19." Naruto smirked. "So I'm older."

They sat at booth, talking about everything that almost didn't matter to the world. They talked about their dreams and families.

Naruto's family was a decent size: two cousins, two uncles, and a father. They all lived in same home growing up, which Naruto said was very small and not even their dreams could fit in the kitchen corner. He said they were impoverished and only had enough money to send one kid to school. His grandfather Maso had died when Naruto was only eight because of lung cancer from the Hiroshima Bombing.

Sasuke's family was small: he had his grandfather and that was all. He was raised by the man and now he was taking care of the man. They lived in a decent home their entire lives because Reo was the son of an Imperial Japanese Army Marshal. But the money meant nothing when Reo should have died.

Sasuke sighed as he ate the crust of their sausage pizza. "They used to say that Oji wouldn't live pass 64 because the radiation and liver cancer is much too large. But 64 passed and now they say 'any day now.'"

Sasuke said nothing when Naruto leaned across the table to comfort him, grabbing his hand and rubbing it.

They talked about their dreams, both passionate about what they wanted. Sasuke wanted to he a civil rights lawyer for people like his grandfather. Naruto wanted to continue what he did for people like himself.

Sasuke enjoyed the person that Naruto was. He liked that the man saw things and wanted them; saw places and built them. He liked that Naruto had a confidence around him that said he would prosper, no matter the life he lived.

And Naruto enjoyed the person Sasuke was. He liked how Sasuke spoke about his grandfather as if he were truly his best friend. He enjoyed how Sasuke was taking 19 credit hours to fulfill his dreams and duties. He enjoyed how headstrong the other was; how he was independent and took shit from no one. Not even Ōmo. Naruto enjoyed when he said something sweet, Sasuke's cheeks would take his color and stain red red red like roses. He liked Sasuke was beautiful and the raven knew it.

Sasuke had been with people before. He knew what it was like to kiss people and make them feel loved. He and Neji had been curious growing up, so Sasuke knew a lot. He just didn't know a thing about what falling in love felt like. But whatever it was, and if it were happening, he wanted it to he a secret. Whatever this was between he and Naruto. He wanted to wrap whatever this was into a soft blanket and dive into the sea, burying himself and the secret beneath the briny waves.

Naruto had no idea what he felt. He didn't trust anyone enough to actually be with anyone during his life. Of course, he knew about sex. But sex wasn't sacred enough. Sex wasn't having a conversation with someone he just met and trying to understand what was in him. Because Sasuke Uchiha made him feel like something and Naruto was still in the process of finding out what it was. He wondered if falling in love made you feel like this. Like acid reflux; with his chest burning when Sasuke smiled or called him an idiot; with it suddenly becoming hard for him to swallow when Sasuke laughed with him or talked about growing up. And it was the most uncomfortable feeling, while it lasted.

The blond looked away from Sasuke's dark Galaxy eyes and down to the pizza with crust missing. He raised a brow, but Sasuke just smiled sheepishly. "I'm a vegetarian."

Suddenly, his insides flipped and the cartel leader felt like an idiot. "Oh. I'm sorry. I should have asked your food preferences before I brought you here. Do you want to go anywhere else before the night ends?"

Sasuke laughed as he watched the man stand in worry. Who really was Naruto Namikaze? "It's fine, Naruto. I wasn't really hungry."

The blond sighed and nodded. "I'm really sorry about this."

"I told you it's fine. Don't be an idiot about. However, the only way you can make it up to me is if we use that snow cone machine back there."

Naruto smiled and stood, grabbing Sasuke's hand and leading him to the back. Sasuke smiled excitedly at the flavors and the machine as it swished the ice.

"You should go first. Show me how to use it, please? I've never used these things before."

Naruto nodded. The machine was very simple to use. And Sasuke felt crazy for even thinking it would be hard.

Naruto squeezed cheery flavor atop his cone and bit into it. "Easy" he smirked.

"It looks like it's melting." The raven murmured. "Let me turn down the temperature for mine." The 18 year old turned down the left knob all the way and waited patiently as it settled.

He leaned against it and smiled at Naruto mockingly. "Is it good?"

Naruto smirked with a smug manner. "Absolutely."

"You know. On a date, you should wait until everyone has their food before you eat."

Naruto pushed it toward him. "Wanna bite?"

The Uchiha laughed very loudly in the silent kitchen. "It's not even a second date yet and you're already trying to share your bitten off food."

Naruto just shrugged as the machine stopped churning. "I'll be sure to come back here for our second date then."

"What makes you so sure we'll have a second date."

"I have to make up for the pizza, Sasuke. Because if I'd known being a vegetarian made you look this good." His ocean eyes went down the casual get up. "I'd take you to the salad bar any day."

And it was the corniest thing Sasuke had ever heard in his years of living. And it was the most outrageous thing he had ever heard. And so his head tilted backward as his stomach did flips and he blushed while laughing.

"Kami. You did not just try to pick me up with a vegetarian line."

Naruto smiled. "Well, if you aren't getting enough protein, I can certainly help."

The laugh that followed had a pitch higher than the last and Sasuke's body shook. He squeezed cherries onto his snowcone and held it up.

"Naruto Namikaze, you are a funny man."

And saying his full name made Sasuke realize who he was. Naruto Namikaze, said boss of the Namikaze cartel, the most ruthless drug organization in all of Japan. Naruto Namikaze, who was once a lead suspect in placing a bomb on the smuggle plane of a rival Columbian drug cartel. Naruto Namikaze, who had admitted to killing one of his classmates when he was just eleven years old.

Why was Naruto Namikaze so different with Sasuke?

Sasuke let it go completely, like dropping a heavy bag of grain from his weakened shoulder. He whispered a "cheers" and bit into his snow cone.

And somehow, that almost killed him. A stabbing pain went through incisor and it was so sudden and instantaneous, Sasuke let out a cry. The snow cone, which appeared like grinded ice, was rock solid, and Sasuke was sure by the throbbing thump of his gums and the blood on the ice, his tooth was broken.

Naruto took off his vest immediately, grabbing the snowcone from his date and throwing it in the trash. "Oh Kami. Sasuke, are you okay?"

The Uchiha whimpered in pain because, holy fuck, the last time he'd broken a tooth, he had flew off his bike at age seven. But this was so much worse. His incisor was on fire and he cried as blood filled his mouth.

"Open your mouth." Naruto instructed. And when he did, the blond gaped. He whispered "so much red."

Sasuke whined.

"I don't know how, but it split your tooth, Sasuke." Naruto sighed apologetically. "We have to go. Find a dentist maybe. Keep this on there. It'll stop the blood. We have to go find a numbing medicine."

* * *

They had driven for two hours trying to find an overnight dentist. Sasuke was nearly asleep in the passenger seat, his entire mouth numb from the medicine Naruto gave him. And although he couldn't feel a thing, the he could remember the pain as if it were still happening.

Never again would he eat a snow cone.

The car slowly came to a halt and the raven leaned upward, staring at a shining blue light and the letters around it. "You found one." he smiled.

Naruto smiled apologetically at him. "Yeah." The blond got out of the car and moved around, opening the door and helping Sasuke out.

Sasuke laughed. "I'm not pregnant, idiot."

Naruto laughed softly, too, opening the door. "I know that." He looked around the vacant waiting room and reception area. "Hello?"

A swiveling chair spun around and sure enough there was a dentist in that seat, with a can of alcohol in his hand… and four more on his desk.

He stood and tipped to one side. "Heeelllooo. We usually don't get customers at one in the morning, hence the party. What can I do for you?"

Sasuke turned to Naruto, whose arm was still around his waist. He smirked, his split incisor somehow making him even more attractive. Or maybe it was the way he smirked. Or maybe the words after. Naruto didn't know. Naruto didn't understand. "He seems legit."

* * *

"There. Does it feel better?" The man questioned, moving away as Sasuke smiled. The raven didn't want to say anything, really. There was still pain and the tooth was still fucked up, but he wanted to leave this place. He wanted to run off with Naruto and be alone with him because he was bored.

So he smiled and nodded. And he was off.

As they walked to the car, Sasuke put a hand to his mouth a smiled, his eyes closed. "Naruto?" The man stopped by the car door and looked to him, curious.

Sasuke giggled, trying to compose himself because really, this couldn't be happening to him of all people. "Naruto...he was so drunk...he fixed the wrong tooth."

And the laughter could not be held. Naruto and Sasuke looked to one another and they burst out laughing.

Naruto was doubled over, clutching his stomach. His laughter had bubbled up in him like a feather. And when it broke free into the night, it was loud and throating. It was so boisterous and unnecessary, but to Sasuke he was so handsome. And for a moment, Naruto Namikaze had showed Sasuke and the searing lights of the dentistry that he was more than a cartel leader.

Sasuke himself was doubled over. To Naruto, he laughed delicately, like the flow of a river on a sunny day, with no wind or breeze to conquer it. And his smile. Kami, his smile. It was beautiful, even more pretty than he.

Naruto shook his head, him being the first to calm down. "I've got to get you home. This has been the most eventful night ever."

Sasuke nodded because he agreed. He had only eaten bread, split his tooth on a snow cone, and was out at 1 AM with an undeniably dangerous man.

Without doubt, this was the worst date he had ever had.

And still, somehow, it became his favorite.

* * *

Sasuke felt anxious as Naruto walked him to his dorm door. "Even though it ended oddly, I had a good time tonight, Naruto." He muttered. Naruto smiled.

"Thank you, Sasuke. I'm really sorry about the snow cone. And your tooth. And I'll pay in full your bills when you get it fixed by a sober person. No arguments."

They stopped before the door and both got really quiet.

"Next time…" Naruto began, his voice hinting.

Sasuke smiled. "How do you know there will even be a next time?"

Naruto leaned closer, hovering over him. "I've already told you that I have to make up for the food, and now the tooth."

Sasuke giggled quietly. Gently, he moved in. Naruto inhaled and Sasuke realized that the blond never let out a breath. So he kissed him gently even if his tooth still did hurt. And when he kissed him, the world fell apart and ceased to exist. It was just them, floating on the edges of the universe. The kiss was slow and soft, comforting in a way that words could not be.

Sasuke smiled when he moved back. "Thank you." He whispered.

* * *

 **Japanese Words used here:**

Kikoe, Shōnen? Translates to "You listening, boy?"

Nomimashou means "Let's drink."

Ā Kami translates to "oh God."

Anata no shita ga kieru Mite inai baai means "your tongue will disappear, if you are not looking." This was Naruto's way of a threat. He meant to say watch what you say, or I will kill you. Or I will cut your tongue out.

Tokiniha sore wa sonoyoni omoeru means "Sometimes, it seems that way."

Anata wa kono basho o shoyū shite imasu ka translates to "you own this place?"

Dō yatte: "how?

 **Schoolboy is a term for cocaine used mainly for the cultural reference it has had on American society somewhere around the 1980s. In this chapter, the schoolboy is Sasuke. We get a better glimpse into his life.**

 **We find out that Neji is a good friend of his and they have also been together before, Sasuke is studying to be a civil rights lawyer because of the discrimination he feels his grandfather and other living Hibakusha go through. Sasuke is obviously a very smart student as he is taking 19 credit hours and is getting by with it. We also see the constant torment he has when dealing with his liver cancer stricken grandfather. Sasuke feels like he is the only one that wants Reo to live because Reo doesn't like taking care of himself. He feels that he is alone in his sadness in which he is waiting to get a call "any day now" that his Oji is dead.**

 **Did you guys catch that** _ **A Bronx Tale**_ **reference? Naruto using the door test on Sasuke was everything. XD I tried to make the date lighthearted because really...it can only get worse from here. I wanted to show the dynamics of Naruto around people he trusts against how he acted in that classroom. But holy shit, Sasuke split his tooth and still managed to kiss Naruto. Because Sasuke is a fudging gangster in this story, okay? XD**

 **So there you have it. Naruto and Sasuke unexpectedly meet while Naruto is on business, finding a friend and cartel member that betrayed him. How? We'll see.**

 **PS. Some of my more frequent readers would know that UzumkiFlame updates every three days. She went on hiatus, but now she's back. So mark your calendars for every third day since the last update. :D Hint: if you're a guest, just check back May 26. Until then.**


	4. Love Affair

**Love Affair**

 **Hello lovelies. Thanks for the reviews. I'm glad you guys liked the date. I want to show a little humor in here at least and show how well Naruto and Sasuke got along so quickly.**

* * *

 _Namikaze residence_

 _Kabukichō, Tokyo_

 _May 1990_

Naruto rolled his toy around the living room carpet. The train was purple and yellow and Naruto liked how the purple told him he was a king and the yellow told him he was honorable. The blond giggled when the toy hit a bump.

"Oh no." He cried with excitement. "Fasten your seatbelts. Man the board. It's going to be a very bumpy stop."

Naruto crashed the train against the carpet, watching it slide onto its side, making rumbustious noises as it tumbled and twisted.

"In a shocking miracle…" he spoke after the news people. "No one was hurt and everyone was able to go home with their families."

The boy smiled, watching tiny people leave the train and hug their families, tears in their eyes. "Ladies and gentlemen, thanks to the conductor of the train. Naruto Namikaze really is the man of the people."

"Aren't you too old for toys?" the voice was a bellchime and a grating board to Naruto and his face was already impassive when he turned.

"Aren't you too old for dolls?" He mocked.

Karin rolled her eyes and glared as she went into the small kitchen. "Baka."

The seven year old stuck out his tongue. "Baka."

"Don't copy me." She growled.

"Don't cop-"

"Papa! Naruto left his toys on the floor again!"

Madoka sat outside, picking through weeds that liked to conquer the grass. He leaned up looking through the small screen. "Naruto, what did I tell you about putting those toys on the floor?"

Naruto grew quiet, as he always would when he did nothing wrong. He just stared at his uncle's tattooed face before Nagato, who sat at the table studying the entire time, sighed.

"He's been playing with them the whole time. I was watching him. Karin's just lying. She came to mess with him." The red head took a sip of his tea as Karin's teeth smacked against one another.

And Madoka growled because he was trying to work on the yard and the kids kept interrupting. "Karin, what did I tell you about lying?"

"I'm not." The girl murmured.

"Yes you are." Nagato hissed, now annoyed at the unnecessary arguments that Karin started. Even more annoyed that Naruto, who was now mindlessly playing, never bothered anyone, but still managed to be a target.

Naruto was the youngest in the house and he was also the smallest. He liked being alone in his own world and he came out a lot more different than his cousins. He was an outcast. And Nagato hated when people bothered him. He hated it so.

"You only bother him because you know he's quiet. So stop. It's annoying and you know he doesn't bother anyone."

Naruto whistled and whispered, oblivious again to the world around him.. "Naruto, people are calling you the hero to all. Dōomoimasuka?"

The boy pushed his chest outward, trying to appear more than what he was. And the sight was so silly, Karin sighed too. Because Naruto didn't deserve to be bullied around.

"I feel that if someone else were in my position…" he trailed with a whisper. "They would save the people too."

"Sorry." The girl muttered.

Madoka's chilling voice echoed throughout house, throaty and threatening, and only being heightened by Naruto's quiet whispers of a train and it's saved people.

"Karin. Don't make me come in there and whoop your ass."

The girl's head snapped to the window, her mouth opened in disbelief and her words pushing them all back to square one. "I didn't do anything." Her voice shrill this time.

"I told you about bullying him and acting like some spoiled little rich girl. You try to do sneaky things and pretend you're a victim when-"

The way he stops is fast and sudden. It is as abrupt as a vehicle crash and as harsh as a building tumbling without consent. Uncle Madoka had stopped so suddenly, it was almost as if he did not exist. He stopped so abruptly, even Naruto stopped to stare out the vacant window space; the train and the crash and the hero now forgotten.

"Uncle?" He called, his voice pitched from whispering and forgetting how it sounded.

Karin moved to the door, but a feather voice stopped her. It was soft as Naruto always remembered and sweet as song. It made the birds sing, and asked for world peace better than any prophet that the world knew.

"You just better go own and stop lookin at me like that and hug me. And close your mouth, boy. I helped raise you better than that."

Naruto looked to Karin and Nagato, who also sat shocked. He stood, the train and the crash and the hero long long long forgotten.

Opening the door, he was in the woman's arms before Madoka even had the option of choosing to remain staring with raindrops in his eyes or hug the woman who had raised him.

"Obachan Betsy!" Naruto screamed louder than the words he'd said in the house. He snuggled up to the woman, almost whining when he could not even move closer.

After the war was gone, Maso had fallen in love with their unknown grandmother who Misaji once said "was gone way before we left the womb." Betsy had somehow become Maso's bestest friend, at least Naruto believed that. Betsy had helped raise the kids and then she helped raised the kid's kids. She was Naruto's bestest friend. Naruto hadn't seen her since last year, and here, seeing her now, made the seven year old realize that the love was not gone, and the missing was much harsher.

He cried and did not let go of Betsy for an entire hour, clinging to the African American woman like his father once said Madoka used to.

Betsy laughed as she carried him to the couch. "Gittin real old for being carried around, Naruto. Ain't you seven years old?"

Naruto giggled when the older woman poked his stomach. "Seven and a half?"

He rested his head on her shoulder and he smiled sideways at her. She laughed, poking his stomach again. "You are too cute."

The woman sat down, and suddenly the vision changed. The memory he held so dear of Betsy tainted by blood, murder, and rape.

Suddenly, Betsy, who always rocked Naruto so gently, turned to stone. And she fell to the ground, cracking and turning to dust as she let out a final violent scream. Not only was the train and the crash and the hero long forgotten, but suddenly, Betsy couldn't be remembered either.

* * *

 _May 5, 2002_

Naruto rubbed his eyes as he moved out of bed, staring around the dark room in confusion. Everything here felt so fake and everything in that dream felt so real. The man pinched his collar and pulled the damp shirt away from his body. It clunge back to him and the man tore off the shirt, throwing it into a corner.

Putting his head into his hands the man sighed tiredly, trying to push his thoughts away. He didn't want to think of Betsy and how she had raised them. He didn't want to think about her at the table reading to Nagato. Or Karin's excitement everytime the woman brought an American Barbie doll. He didn't want to think about how one day, she was gone.

"Oh God." He whispered. Not loud, however. He whispered it just enough because he was tired. Whispered it just enough so that the man he didn't even believe in would not hear.

" _I don't know how to sleep, I gotta eat, stay on my toes."_

Naruto's pistol was aiming at the phone on his desk before he even registered that it was simply his own phone. The man sighed once again and put the gun down.

" _Got a lot of beef, so logically, I prey on my foes."_

Jay-Z's voice continued to blare through the empty room. The man stood, grabbing the phone and walking to the window. "What is it?"

"Sir?" The hotel Naruto was staying in was a luxury one. He was on the top floor penthouse and had reserved the entire floor below him for safety reasons. And with the receptionist calling him from the lobby at ungodly hours of the night, Naruto had regretted it quickly. This was more a hassle than sleeping in a lower level room surrounded by men that could be rivals of his organization.

"What is it?" He muttered.

"There's a woman requesting a room on the floor below yours. There are no more rooms open, but those."

Naruto's eyes narrowed suspiciously. He had given orders that anyone that came in should be informed immediately that the 18th and 19th floors were sold out.

Anyone who kept asking about a room there needed to be eliminated immediately. "Information." He demanded.

There was a gasp. And the woman replied nervously. "Sir. I cannot give out information of residents because th-"

"Information." Naruto growled, tired and annoyed.

"Um. Name is K-Karin Namikaze. Permanent address is-"

Naruto sighed because obviously Namikaze didn't register with the woman. The sigh was loud and it had cut her off. "Send her up." He muttered.

"Right away, sir."

Naruto hung up. She didn't deserve to be patronized that way and Naruto would call to apologize. He was just so tired and exhausted and he hated May. He hated May so much because all it is was a month. It was a very bad month and it brought nothing but pain for him ever since he was a child.

A soft knock on his door and the man stood, opening it and watching Karin walk in swiftly.

"It's three in the morning."

The woman huffed. "I know. Kami I'm so stupid. I really messed up this time, Naruto."

He watched his cousin pace around his suite, running her hands through her silky red hair. She had a long black overcoat on and the only thing he could see of her outfit were the pointy red heels that clicked on his nice floor.

"I hope you weren't out prostituting." He crossed his arms with a smirk.

Karin's sharp red eyes followed upward as she ceased movement. Naruto smiled when he watched her lips quiver. "Not the time to joke, idiot. Hal is missing."

Naruto's mouth upturned because he had forgotten which boyfriend this was and he had forgotten he cared.

"Who?"

Karin sat on the bed. "My boyfriend, you idiot. The Russian one."

"And it matters to me because….." he trailed off, expecting her to continue and place him into the story that was too long before it even began.

Once more, those red eyes criticized him. "I don't mean the missing like that school teacher _you_ said you were only going to speak with..."

Naruto scowled because who was she to tell him how to do business? She knew how he worked.

"I mean Mal is missing after I caught him with another woman a week ago. Mal is missing and so is ¥1 million."

They gazed upon another intently and Naruto bit his lip, was unsure of what to say until she actually gave him a topic.

Karin ran a hand through her hair. "He ran off with my money. I don't want to get Nagato or Papa involved. What do I do, Naruto?"

"Sore wa kantandesu" He muttered, a smirk on his face as. "you find him and you kill him."

Karin grunted. "I can't."

"That's the only option I have. It's been my option since I was a child."

And she shook her head as if it would make him feel less of a man. Less of Naruto "Ōmo" Namikaze. "I'm not like you, itoko."

Naruto raised a brow. Karin was all too similar to him. Like him, she had seen the poverty and the crime. She had went to bed hungry at nights and had been forced to live in a two bedroom home for most of their lives. Karin wasn't as ruthless as Naruto and she wasn't as enforcing as Nagato, but she was in their circle. She was part of the Namikaze cartel too. Karin had gotten her fair share of violent kills. Like him, Karin had gotten her hands dirty, blood beneath her fingernails and bruises on her knuckles. Even whatever God she believed in knew.

He tried not to smile, but his lips came up in a smirk. "Alright. Do you want me to handle it?"

She huffed. "Fine. I'll kill him."

"Is that all? You couldn't have come here just to tell me that? You miss me, cousin?"

The woman rolled her eyes and stood diligently, patting down her coat and fixing her hair. "When are you coming back to Tokyo?" She murmured. "You told us Yugito would be handled quickly."

Naruto thought for a moment. Then he bit his lip and thought again. It had been an entire month since he met the brave Sasuke Uchiha and frankly, Naruto hasn't wanted to return home. Even though business is important; Even though the organization needed him, Naruto felt as if a string had bond Naruto and Sasuke together. He wanted to tell Karin about it but he wanted it to remain some kind of secret. Because it felt sacred, the small dates the two would have.

Naruto wanted to take Sasuke's love and bury it with him when he died. He didn't want anyone to taint whatever it was breaking into him. He didn't want to taint Sasuke. Because Naruto was a cartel leader and he hardly trusted anyone. But Sasuke was so different. It was like he had known Sasuke his entire life. It was like he knew he could trust the Uchiha.

"I've met someone." He whispered, faint and hushed, as if it were the most fragile thing in the world. It made him feel even less of a man now. He wanted to hide. He wanted Sasuke and he wanted to be inside his body and drown in his heart.

Karin snorted as soon as the words were uttered and he wanted her to shush. Because he didn't want God to hear about it and ruin the love affair as he did with Naruto's life. "Naruto. The college girls that suck your dic-"

"He's not a college girl. He's not a whore or an attention seeker. In fact, he hates attention. He said it makes him feel like his grandfather. He's really smart and independent too." Naruto smiled softly, his eyes dazed. "He's going to Nagasaki University for a double major in Political Science and English. And he's taking a minor in philosophy that he likes to call 'too fucking modern.' He's taking nineteen credits hours, Karin. That's so crazy." Naruto laughed. "He's a geek. He likes video games and he hates Pizza and snowcones. He likes tomatoes and soap operas. And when he's not working, he likes coming over here because his roommate is too overwhelming. He'll come over in sweatpants and a hoodie and he'll watch TV all night."

The blond leaned against the wall, caught in a web of admiration and in no hurry to get out. He was unaware of Karin's incredulous gaze and unaware that the world was a planet and the universe was real.

"On our first date, about a month ago, I took him to our arcade. And he never told me he was a vegetarian, so, all night, he nibbled on the crust of pizza. And then he split his tooth on a snow cone. We drove all night trying to find a dentist. And when we did." Naruto laughed. "The guy was so drunk, he fixed then wrong tooth. And I know it hurt like hell, but he still kissed me. He's not one of the college girls I used to mess around with, Karin. He's Sasuke. Sasuke that likes to read textbooks instead of novels. Sasuke that is so passionate about the rights of humans. Sasuke that is one of those people that know their good looking as hell. Sasuke, who reminds me so much of Betsy. And I'm not letting him go. I'm not leaving Nagasaki until he comes back in my arms."

When he was finished with the speech he had no idea he made, he looked to Karin with solemn eyes, as if he had just relieved his back of the Galaxy.

Karin was staring as if she didn't know him. "I had no idea you were gay."

Naruto laughed in pity of himself. "Me neither." He whispered.

"If this Sasuke makes you this way, he's already my best friend." Karin smirked. "You're obviously weak in the knees for him."

Naruto grimaced. "Don't say weak. Anything but that."

"Well, I'll be damned. Omo can't handle falling in love." The woman stood and once more, her red heels began to click. "Anyway, I should get going. I want to make it back to Tokyo so that I can prepare my trip to Russia."

She hugged her cousin and leaned back to look at him. "Don't let him go, alright? We all know how much it hurt when Granny Betsy-" she stopped herself and hugged him again. "Just don't let him go." She concluded, out of words to say.

Naruto nodded and let her out. When the woman stepped into the elevator, she waved with a smirk. "Bye bye, silly hoe."

Naruto waved his fingers at her and with the same tone and same smirk, he said "ta ta, rich bitch."

Karin's laugh was everlasting as the elevator doors closed and he was alone once more. The man sighed and leaned against the wall. Looking over to his desk, he found that is was now six in the morning. Idly, he wondered what Sasuke was doing at the moment.

Was he sleeping or studying?

The man looked to his bed, but the final memory of Betsy consumed it and he did not want to go back there. So he put on a shirt and grabbed his keys, hoping that Sasuke would be up by the time the blond made it to campus.

* * *

Sasuke bit into an apple as he hovered over his desk, reading his problems to not wake Neji.

"True or false. If f and g are two functions such that

limit f(x) as x - a = + infinity

and

limit g(x) as x - a = + infinity

then limit [ f(x) - g(x) ] as x - a is always equal to 0. "

The raven sighed and began writing swiftly. "False. Infinity is not a number. Negative infinity is not equal to zero. Positive infinity is a symbol to represent large, but undefined numbers. And finally negative infinity is a small but undefined number. Period."

He turned the page when their door was struck, not noisily, but enough to attract attention. The raven turned with a beating heart because who would bother college kids at seven AM on a Saturday? Before finals week, no less?

He lifted himself, but ceased all movement and breathing when Neji's head shot up in surprise. The Hyūga looked around the room and upon spotting Sasuke, whose hair was probably all over the place, he jumped back in shock. "Jesus Christ." He hissed.

Sasuke blinked. "No. Just me. Sasuke."

He knew Neji rolled his eyes in the darkness, so he laughed quietly. "Did you stay up all night?"

"No I got up around four. Couldn't sleep."

Neji nodded and there was another knock on the door. The white eyed teen stood in anger. "Who the hell is knocking at our door at seven in the-"

He swung the door, almost stopping, but finishing. "Morning." He finished. Sasuke turned, watching his friend attempt to hide a scowl. And then he said with bitterness. "He's not here."

Sasuke's mouth opened at the level of rudeness. He stood, throwing his apple in the trash bin. "Neji." He spoke in disappointment. The raven moved to the door, standing behind Neji.

When he saw the man outside the door, however, he squealed goofily and dived for his bed.

"Sasuke?" Naruto asked after a moment of silence.

The law student laughed. "What? What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see you. I want to take a ride and talk with you."

"I look like a caveman." He scowled.

"It's alright."

They stood quiet for a moment. Neji, who had been going through this for a month, just left the door, not caring if Naruto came in or not. He layed back down and put his head under the cover, yawning.

"Come on, Sas. Don't let me watch sunrise by myself please."

And the raven shot up because the thoughts flitted through his head like a bird, quick and everlasting. "We're going to watch the sunrise? Where?"

"Come on." He could tell Naruto was smiling as he said this. The Uchiha stood, now interested. He could not deny the temptation of running off with Naruto, as he couldn't for a month.

"Okay." He muttered. There raven patted his hair down and stood, muttering a soft goodbye to Neji.

* * *

Today, he finds out that Tokyo is very significant to Naruto Namikaze. It is so significant to the man that he spends ¥500 for two plane tickets at seven in the morning. It is so significant that Naruto is willing to travel two hours by plane when Tokyo lies 14 from Nagasaki, Japan.

It is so significant, that Naruto says he should be the first to introduce Sasuke. He drives around Kabukichō, the fascinating neighborhood that belonged to the Namikaze, and listens to what Naruto will do.

Naruto talks about building schools for children and finding the school farms that help produce the school lunch for children. He wants free and reduced lunch for all kids.

He talks about his cousins. Karin is much like Naruto, but she's a girl. She argues with him all the time, but Naruto believes their relationship is very silly. Karin is in the cartel too. Sasuke notices that smile is big when he talks about Nagato who "took up for me better than society." He talks about how Nagato is older and smarter than he and Karin and how the man is a true blessing and a true criminal. Nagato is not as ruthless Naruto, but he hates when people mess with Naruto.

Naruto says Nagato is lucky because a few years ago, the red head had an accident. An accident where he was shot in the head during a gunfight and still lived. And Naruto is smiling big when he says not even the bullet could keep him from moving.

Sasuke interrupts to say "he isn't as ruthless as you?"

And he blushes when Naruto rests a hand on his thigh.

Naruto talks about Karin's father, Madoka, who is covered in tattoos and is still a nice man. And Nagato's father, Misaji, who is as silent as his son, but also protective.

And then he talks about Minato, who died when Naruto was seventeen, two years ago. The blond tells Sasuke that he hasn't even spoken about the pain to anyone but Sasuke. And Sasuke puts a hand on the blonds shoulder.

He likes the way Naruto smiles at him as he drives and he likes that Naruto says "he would have fell in love with you the moment he met you."

Sasuke feels like he knows a lot about Naruto. He feels like an idiot because Naruto tells him to leave before they go any further. Because apparently "I'm not a good man, Sasuke. In fact, I've done more horrible things than the average bad man." And Sasuke feels even worse when he curls up in the passenger side of the car, thinking about how he isn't supposed to love anyone he's known for only a month. He wanted to crawl into himself because it was wrong and he was so much better than that.

But he was so dangerously unaware that Naruto too had the same thoughts.

The first time his feet touch the ground is on the prettiest mountain Sasuke has seen in the entirety of his life. The mountain was high enough to point out the stars and wide enough to point to every segment of the sky with a different color.

Naruto got out of the car, looking around the mountain in a daze. He was obviously lost in thought as he stared at the burning sky, the colors red and orange as the night drew on. But then, his eyes stopped at small spot near the edge of the mountain. And although it was as beautiful like everything else, Sasuke noticed how there was a gloom upon a small spot in the sky that favored that spot.

The raven turned his head away, because he knew who Naruto was; he just didn't want to see it.

Something horrible happened here.

"When I was eleven…" Naruto began, moving by the edge of the mountain. "My father brought me up here for my first initiation to crime. I was a quiet kid. Never really spoke around the house, never really complained about a thing really. It was a ransom. To put it simply, he and my uncles kidnapped a boy from my class. The son of the man we needed the money from. To put it simply, I shot him in the head."

Sasuke blinked, moving closer to the man. He was unsure of what to say or even think. But Naruto drew him closer.

"I shot him in the head and I wanted to. I enjoyed the tremor in my ears and I enjoyed the color of blood at just eleven. Because, why else would I remember it? And I told everyone that, because society told me that killing was supposed to make you feel guilty and something was wrong. My father told me I was different than him. He told me I was different than his brothers and my cousins. And he said it was a good thing. He told me I was a leader. I was God; I was a lord of crime. That I was 'Omo.'"

Naruto tensed when he felt Sasuke's head on the back of his shirt. A hand gripped his arm. "There's still good in you." He heard the Uchiha whisper. "You help people in poverty as if you led this country. and I know you're very passionate about helping others because there's a light in your eyes brighter than the stars when you talk about the hospitals you'll build and the orphanages you'll fund. There's so much good in you." Sasuke smirked. "So what if you like a little blood?"

His blue eyes widened. The blond had gotten support from his family members yes, but not as gruesome as this. Sasuke sounded as if _he_ belonged in Naruto's crime syndicate. He was compassionate with Naruto. He had yet to meet Naruto's demons. But he had heard about them with a swift ear and seemed ready to confront them.

Naruto blushed heavily, his entire neck and chest burning like an explosion. He enjoyed that Sasuke could not see him. What he told Karin early morning was right.

Sasuke Uchiha was a fucking superhero. Sasuke was so close to Betsy that Naruto just wanted to cry because...fuck he hated May.

He was so broken inside that his cries got stuck in the back of his throat, which for a man like him, was a really good thing. The blond pushed his hands deep in his pockets. "Keep supporting me like that, and I just might ask you to be my one and only."

Sasuke snorted. "Oh please. I am your one and only." The raven sat on the mountain side and pat the seat next to him with a soft smile. Naruto moved over, sitting on the rocky ground.

"Actually. You can't be my one and only yet. Not until your roommate stops hating me so violently."

The remark must have been both surprising and foreseen. Sasuke laughed sharply, his head going back and his eyes closed. He smiled big at Naruto. "Neji?"

"Who?" The blond raised a brow, unsure of who the name belonged to.

"My roommate."

"I thought his name was Noah. But yes. It's obvious he has some sort of disdain toward me. Which you should warn him about. Just because I like you doesn't make me a good person."

Sasuke sighed. "Neji's harmless. Aggressively protective at times, but still an okay person."

"I don't like him." Naruto muttered. He had killed people like Neji before; men who liked to put on a tough exterior. He had watched them kneel on their knees and beg for their lives moments before something horrible would happen. People like Neji were all glares until their corpses became expressionless.

"He's my best friend." Sasuke whispered. Because the Hyūga was very important to him. He and Naruto stared at one another for a moment before he simply said. "Look. Neji's jealous, but he's very harmless."

Naruto's chest burned a little when he thought about it. "Jealous?"

"We were one another first...you know…" the Uchiha trailed awkwardly. "Everything. I'm a smart person, and I know he still has feelings, but we haven't done a thing since we were sixteen."

Naruto wanted to say something very immature. He wanted to insult Neji's physic and his power. Neji looked almost as slender as Sasuke and his cloudy eyes that could thunder on the land weren't even as intense and powerful as Naruto's watery eyes that could cause tsunamis to wreck the world. But Naruto was a man. And he wouldn't hurt Sasuke, no matter his dislike toward his roommate.

"You look very uncomfortable right now." Sasuke had chosen to lean back and get a good look at Naruto.

Naruto raised a brow. "How?"

"It was just sex." Sasuke smirked. "Why are you so red?"

Politely, Naruto raised a hand in a stop motion. "Please do not do that. Sasuke. Sore wa shitsureidesu."

Sasuke inched closer to him. "If I didn't know any better, I would think you're jealous. I think you hate that I've been with other people."

"Sasuke." Naruto hisses in a disapproving manner. Because in an entire month, Sasuke has done and said the craziest, most violent things. And never has he seen him act like this.

He doesn't care about Naruto's increasing breathing or the the way the blond licks his lips. Instead, Sasuke puts his own lips to Naruto's ear.

"Oshietekudasai, Ōmo." Sasuke laughed loudly when Naruto tried pushing him away, but instead tackled him when Sasuke didn't let him.

And then, he's kissing Sasuke. Sasuke laughs softly because it's so unexpected, but Naruto moves away with a soft smirk; the one that makes Sasuke's feel like a teen again and he whispers "kiss me."

And Sasuke does. And he moves back again to whisper "Naruto Namikaze" in a disapproving manner. Because they cannot kiss on this mountain where bad things have happened, but thinking that Naruto loves this mountain and it is sacred to him and he would want this mountain to become something beautiful where the young and brave fall in love.

He runs his hand over Naruto's cheek before again, they are kissing, more fervently this time; more needed. And then his shirt is gone and so is Naruto's, and Naruto is kissing his shoulder so softly, Sasuke believes it's the breeze.

And when his lips are swelled and puckered from the biting and he can't take anymore, Naruto is further down exploring the bottom half of Sasuke. The inside of his mouth is very heated and Sasuke is so high in the clouds because it never felt this good with anyone else.

Naruto is going down on him and it never felt this good with _anyone_ else. The Uchiha wants to scream, but he bites his lip and runs his hand through Naruto's hair, which he can't grasp correctly.

It's only when the blond stops the bobbing of his head on Sasuke to mutter "Jesus," that Sasuke cums. And Naruto licks him clean like he was made for it and Sasuke looks away before the high comes back because he can't take the way Naruto is licking and swallowing. The blond comes back up to kiss him. And their kissing again, this time much softer and Naruto's hands are moving all over him. They have married Sasuke and moved away until they return again and rest on the surface of the mountain.

"You're so beautiful." He whispered into Sasuke's ear, kissing his neck. And the sweet nothings continued to come, and Sasuke loved every moment of the attention.

" _I wanted you the moment I saw you."_

" _Tell me to stop."_

And then it is something that he whispers that make Sasuke feel so fucking beautiful. Naruto stops to stare and he kisses the blond's neck. " _You're the one. The only one I want."_

Out of thin air, Sasuke blinked his future into existence. It was him there, with Naruto, smiling and laughing.

His heart began beating rapidly, trying to tear out of his chest because something as little as kissing wasn't supposed to feel this good and _fuck_ …. temptation was heavier than the world and all it's burdens on a single finger.

Naruto leaned up over him, redoing Sasuke's pants in the process. The blond looked from left to right, dazed and smitten, before he let out a small giggle.

"Sasuke…." he whispered. He looked to the student and grabbed his hand, pulling the Uchiha closer to him. Sasuke laid his head on Naruto's chest, euphoria high as the closest star.

"Yeah?"

"..."

The raven looked up to Naruto, and wanted to cower into himself when he found Naruto already staring, smiling at him.

Naruto held the most smitten look and Sasuke knew. It was the same look Reo would give him when Sasuke made him proud. Or how Neji looked at him back when they were young. Sasuke sighed.

"Ore wa bakadesu." He whispered. How could he not see it? Naruto was a drug lord, and it was clear he trusted no one. But he trusted Sasuke enough to tell him that he was a horrible man and how. No, he didn't know how the cartel worked, but he knew how the killings worked.

Why else would Naruto tell him these things if Sasuke didn't mean a thing to him?

Sasuke meant a little more than a few dates thing to Naruto and realizing that made him blush even more and bury his face in the blonds chest.

Naruto laughed and hugged him close. "Sasuke. Whatever this is; if it's a love affair or if you want to go further, I want to savor it. I don't want to move too fast because I want to be sure. Just like I know you'd like to be sure."

Sasuke nodded. "Okay."

"I…" the blond began, "I never did anything like that. I mean there were girls that-"

He stopped at the stony eyes that watched him with no expression.

"What I mean is, I've never went down on anyone before. I'm more of a dominant person."

Sasuke laughed and pushed the blond slightly. Upon doing that, the necklace around Naruto's neck gleamed in the dark, shining brightly and catching Sasuke's attention.

He had seen the pretty thing before. Back in the coffee shop, at the arcade, and then again at the ice rink. Naruto must have worn it everyday. It was simple and a bit old, from what he could tell by the rusted silver chain. But the main attraction was the purple gem inside the diamonds around it.

"How long have you had that necklace?" He whispered.

Naruto looked down at it too, a solemn look in his eyes. "I hate talking about it." He muttered. "In fact, I don't talk about it, but… it was given to me when I was four by someone very important."

"Oh." Sasuke laid his head on Naruto's shoulder, a bit tired.

"I told you my grandfather was a survivor of the Hiroshima Bombing, right?"

"Hn."

"Yeah. Well, he didn't look the way he used to in photos taken before the bomb. His eye and upper lip were missing. And he was burned by his uniform so badly, the scabs on his legs and arms stayed. Not to mention his lung cancer. But he was loved and he gave love. When my father was born, my grandmother left before she could even hold them. But her friend was an African American nurse. She was my grandfather's best friend."

Sasuke watched Naruto smile softly.

"And I mean they were really the best of friends. There were pictures of them in camp together and they were always so happy with one another. They both dealt with their struggles, but Betsy made Oji feel better. She was a superhero, to all of us. She helped grandpa raise my dad and uncles. And then she helped raise us. None of our mothers, Karin, Nagato, and I, none of our mothers supported the lives my dad and uncles chose. And they were gone before I knew them.

Betsy helped raise us too. She taught us how to brush our teeth, take care of ourselves, cook, even breastfed all three of us. She named me."

"Really?"

Naruto laughed. "Yeah. She named me and I love how she never really needed to say that I was her favorite."

Naruto grabbed hold of his necklace. "I hate May." He whispered. "When, I was nine, she never visited on May 5, like she wrote that she would. And I never heard from her again after that. I asked my father and uncles why she didn't come back and no one said a thing."

"I asked everyday until my father was killed. And then last year, I finally found out why she didn't return."

Naruto looked away when his eyes were watered. "They found her body when I was ten and I didn't know about it for eight years. Someone of the Yakuza had raped and mutilated her. And this had happened when I waited for her all night by that window. And they never told me. Sasuke can you imagine the fear?

Visiting a foreign country only to be raped and killed. The American news said she was just missing, but everyone man of the Yakuza knew what happened. Who could do that, Sasuke?"

The blond looked at him them, tears streaming down his eyes and Sasuke covered his own wet face.

"Who could rape a 64 year old woman and cut her into pieces? Why?"

"Did you find the person?"

Naruto grimaced in pain and anger. "It was the father of my cousin's old boyfriend, Fey Tadashi."

Sasuke gasped.

Naruto nodded. "So you heard that story?" He smiled. "Karin's boyfriend told her the truth. And I had Fey kidnapped. I got the trucks. I was the one that tied the chains around his legs and arms. I tied each end to a truck. And Karin, Nagato, and I stood laughing and horsing around while the trucks backed away from one another. We laughed as he was being torn apart.

And when his body was almost split, I made Bolade, or B, and Shikamaru, my two most trusted hitmen, stop. And we waited for him to bleed out before we finally tore him apart."

Naruto was happy about this. The way he smiled recalling how he murdered this man. And Sasuke didn't want to say anything, but Fey deserved every minute of his death.

"Karin's boyfriend testified, saying that we did it."

"And then he dropped the charges, right?" Sasuke asked. Because that was what the Japan News Network said.

Naruto smirked. "Not at all. He was willing to go on until someone went to jail. I told you, Sasuke. I control the media. We killed them all. We killed the lawyers, Fey's family, the jurors, the judge, and any Yakuza members that tried to go against the Namikaze cartel. And _I_ enjoyed every minute of it. 80 men, women, and children. Betsy's life was worth the murders of 80 people in three months."

"And I cut up Fey Tadashi in pieces. And with his body parts on the ground, I spelled out Betsy's name. So that even in death, they'll remember she deserved more than what they tried to give her."

Sasuke watched him, so awed by this terrible, horrible power that Naruto had over almost all of Japan. "Fey deserved everything he got. And anyone who didn't feel bad about her death, they deserved it too." He finally whispered. Because that was how he felt. He felt Naruto's pain and somewhere, in the distant spiritual world, he could feel Betsy's pain.

Naruto snorted. "You remind of her. That's why I brought you here. That's why I trust you. Because there's something about you, Sasuke. Today is the same day I was supposed to see her ten years ago. God, sometimes I really hate May. She gave me this when I was young. And it signifies strength over turmoil. It signifies her and Maso's friendship. It signifies the bomb."

"Thank you." Sasuke muttered, inching closer. He blushed when Naruto kissed his forehead. "I can see it hurts when you speak about it and I know she was very important to you. Thank you for giving me the honor of knowing why."

"Thank you."

* * *

 _Kabukichō, Tokyo_

 _May 5, 1987_

 _He had never seen his father get hit before, but today was a new day. Naruto peaked out as the dark lady hit Minato in the head and scolded him._

" _You gits a woman that loves you for you. Not a girl that you think is just cute."_

 _Minato grumbled something beneath his breath and the woman hit him again._

" _I always knew she wouldn't take care of him. A young girl like that wants somethin to live for. Now look at ja. I raised you better than this and you call me tellin me that Naruto's sick."_

" _I didn't say sick. I said he missed you." Minato rubbed his head, trying to skew away from her angry rant._

" _Huh?"_

" _Nagato is sick." The man reminded. "I called because Naruto wanted to see you. You're hitting the wrong person."_

" _I can't help that you're all triplets." Betsy tried defending herself, a small smirk on her face._

 _He stared incredulously. "I'm the blond one!" He said with desperation._

" _Hm. A triplet is a triplet. Where is my baby anyway?"_

 _Naruto took that as his call to move out from the shadows and move to hug Betsy's leg. He smiled up at her when she jumped a little and calmed down._

" _Well. Guess you were right. Ain't sick at all. Just missed his granny, is all. You want to help me take care of Nagato-baby, Naruto? I'll teach you all about the medicine."_

 _She didn't need to bribe the four year old. He was going to stay by her side until she left for America again in two weeks._

* * *

The wound was an unhealed gunshot and the bullet was still in him, pushing around and piercing his organs when he moved everytime he thought of Betsy and losing her.

But Sasuke was here with him on this God awful date in May, trying to find where the puncture was.

So he kissed his forehead again. "Thank you."

* * *

 **Japanese words here:**

Dōomoimasuka means "what do you think?" Naruto playing as a kid is so cute because he was so isolated.

Sore wa kantandesu translates to "it's easy." Naruto has a simple way of doing business and for him it's easy. To kill.

Oshietekudasai translates to "please tell me."

Sore wa shitsureidesu means "that's rude."

Ore wa bakadesu means "I'm an idiot."

 **The title of this chapter is Love affair. Cocaine can be called Love Affair for either the effect of the drug or it's cultural impact. For my chapter, it's used mainly for Naruto and Sasuke evidently. I want to show how their relationship is evolving and how it has already. Naruto and Sasuke's relationship feels very different in this story, but I'm so loving the way I'm writing it.**

 **Since Betsy helped in raising Minato, Misaji, and Madoka, she deserved a little more to the story. She was Maso's bestest friend, lol, as Naruto liked to say and I'm in the process of drawing their photos now. Betsy was very important to Naruto and to find out that she was killed hurt him a lot. Naruto isn't supposed to cry, but he does. And no one but Sasuke sees it. As Naruto said, he doesn't talk about the deaths of his father or Betsy.**

 **Well, I should hurry and start writing the next chapter. Thanks to my readers and thanks to my wonderful reviews. I hope to see me. Until next time.**

 **I don't know why I feel like this chapter was sloppy. It's going to have to go through some major editing. So if you were bothered by it, I apologize. And I'm working on it.**


	5. King's Habit

**King's Habit**

 **Thanks to all the reviews. It means so much. I'm a bit rushed right now.**

* * *

" _Killing is a science._

 _It is nothing but a universally applicable solution_

 _To the questions why and how."_

 _Naruto "Ōmo" Namikaze_

"Don't tell me how to live my life! Don't tell me who to fall in love with!"

Killing is a science. It is well known to the people, but the people do not know it well. It is an explanation of how the world really works. On Earth in the cities overrun by drugs and violence, killing is the reality; the truth; the logics; the practicality.

Sasuke glared as Neji glared back, the small television in their dorm long forgotten as their words grew against one another, pushing and shoving until someone fell from the high.

Neji crossed his arms, annoyed. "Why can't you see that I want you to be safe?"

Murder is an art. The cartel shows the world how creative they can be when they create murder. They paint a canvas of any body that someone finds decaying and the world looks away. Because murder done by the cartel, especially murder painted by Naruto, was supposed to be ignored until it couldn't. And the painting is beautiful. The blood, painted with pastel colors, is flowing beautifully. The body, like tone, is muted; subdued and dull. And the how of the painting; how was the body killed; it was the smoothest texture in the world.

"You aren't! I told you he cares about me!"

Neji let out a snort that made Sasuke feel like an idiot. " _Cares_?" And there was never so much venom in a single word used for consideration and concern. "Sasuke, this fucking guy kills people! The media tells us that the Namikaze cartel murders two people per day!"

Neji stood from his bed, pointing harshly to the television where the Yugito family have began a search party for there beloved father. "Our professor is missing, Sasuke! And the last one to see him was Naruto!"

Sasuke was in no mood to fight at all, least not with his friend. But it was as clear as a calm blue sky that he didn't like the relationship with Naruto.

He could say he didn't like the way Naruto casually killed and kidnapped people. He could talk about how the cocaine that Naruto helped import into Japan was ruining their country and their youth and the dreams.

But Sasuke saw the envy everytime Naruto arrived outside of that dorm.

He watched the different cars and clothes Naruto brought and wore over like they were prey. And worse, Naruto treated Sasuke as if the Uchiha were the last King on Earth; like a diamond amongst stone; he treated the Uchiha like Sasuke was 'Ōmo.'

Every week, a gift at the main dorm lobby for Sasuke. Flowers, rings, clothing, cars that Sasuke could have for days, weeks, sometimes Naruto liked to whisper "forever. You can have it forever, Sasuke, if you want." Sasuke was spoiled. Naruto wasn't a subtle man, so seeing him dip Sasuke and kiss him goofily was a norm for Neji. Seeing him lift Sasuke in excitement because he hadn't seen the student in a week was a common occurence.

Those were things Neji never got to do with Sasuke. And he hated that.

Sasuke clamped his mouth shut as he pulled out his phone. He dialed and waited as Neji rolled his eyes and turned back to the television, watching as the search party led themselves deep into Goto Camellia Forest Park.

"Kore wa orokadesu" he muttered.

Homicide is wrong. It is a bad deed done by both bad and good men. Naruto is a killer. Naruto is a murderer. Naruto commits homicide. Naruto is bad. Naruto is good. And a good man with that much horrible power is hard to come by. Sasuke doesn't ignore the missing people of the cartel violence or Naruto's family popping up on the news. He is only used to it.

A good man like Naruto with horrible power like killing is hard to come by. But good men like Sasuke with odd fascinations of crime and a strange relationship with commitment spot them out easily.

The sound of the other line being answered lifted a weight off of Sasuke's chest and he leaned back against his wall, so tired and annoyed and disgruntled.

" _Sasuke-kun."_ Naruto's voice was like dark chocolate. Soothing with a seriousness to it. " _Are you alright?"_

The Uchiha sighed when Neji stood in anger and left, slamming the door with vigor. He put his knees on his chest.

"Can you come get me?"

There was a silence before the sound of shuffling around was heard. And then the closing of a door. " _What's wrong?"_

The Uchiha sighed, and when he blinked, a tear left his eyes. "I just want to be away. That's all."

" _I'm on my way."_

* * *

Naruto arrived ten minutes later and he said nothing as he opened the car door for Sasuke.

The blond got into the driver seat and started the car. He smiled softly and in pity at Sasuke. "Doko e ikitai?"

Sasuke sighed. He turned to the man, his eyes extremely dry from trying not to blink. Upon seeing what Sasuke was viciously fighting, the blond shook his head.

"No." He whispered. "Don't you cry when you're down, Sasuke."

The Uchiha whimpered because obviously he was stronger than a little fight. But everything in the past months just continued to build up, like dust on an unused table.

Naruto sighed and pushed his seat back for room, opening his arms. "Come?" He questioned and Sasuke moved over to his side, straddling the blond and laying his head on his chest.

"Īe. I just want to be with you." The Uchiha listened to the blond's advice and never let a tear escape, choosing instead to take broken inhales and weighted exhales.

"What's wrong, Sasuke?"

"It's just. The past weeks have been very heavy for me. I- dorms close in a week unless summer classes are being taken. I wanted to take summer courses and get my degree faster, but I need to go back and take care of my grandfather. And then Neji is always pestering me. I...I can't go back there yet. Not with the fight we just had."

"Do you… do you want me to handle it?"

The question was simple enough, but the underlying meaning to it made Sasuke lift his head and stare at the other man with a hint of anger.

"Jesus Christ, no, Naruto! This is exactly what I was trying to defend you for?"

"You were arguing over me?" Sasuke nodded and he knew by Naruto's raised brow, an uncaring question would follow. "Over how I live my life?" Another nod. "And my way of doing business?"

"Yes, Naruto. What else would there be?"

Naruto's brow raised even more. His next words sent a chill down the raven's spine, too cool to suppress. "Who really is Hyūga Neji, Sasuke?"

"He's my friend."

"Yes, but really, _who_ is he?"

Sasuke grew offensive. "Why? So you can kill him?"

Naruto scowled in a way that it was so forced to cover up the shock and cringe of Sasuke's question. Of course such a thing was expected and the Namikaze lifted Sasuke by the waist and pushed him off. "Do you have a problem with the way I do business, Sasuke?"

"No, but you could at least be more subtle about it. You could at least have some respect for the people that are important to me." Sasuke glared hard at the man, his eyes burning.

Naruto laughed, but it did not make Sasuke smile the way it always would. It was harsh and bitter, as coarse as sand going down the throat, making it clogged and scratchy. "Respect." Omo hissed. "Can I have some respect for the kid who does nothing but glare at me everytime I come around? Can I respect the kid who has no respect for me? Do you realize how idiotic that sounds?!"

Sasuke flinched away when the man screamed at him. Getting over his initial shock of the anger he never knew, Sasuke hissed. "He's only looking out for me!"

"No. He's doing nothing for you, Sasuke! How can you not see that. He-"

"Stop yelling!"

"-is only jealous of me. Of what you and I have. I know what it really is, Sasuke. I see it all the time. And you telling me to respect him is foolish." He snorted again, not believing the argument they were having.

"I can't believe we're arguing over some kid I should have dismembered and shipped to his father's shop a month ago." He muttered.

Sasuke's mouth downturned with disgust and his eyelids opened as far as the sky could see. "You're sick." He spat. Just thinking of Neji being dismembered and shipped to his father was vile and Sasuke wanted to throw up immediately. But he held it down.

Naruto raised a brow. "Then why are you here? Sasuke, you have seen me at my best. I told you I killed people. I have torn men apart, buried them alive, dipped them in acid. I ordered children to be killed because of their parents. I still kill people. Hell, I just helped my cousin kill a man that owed her money. In fact, we tortured him for months."

Sasuke blinked. "Shut up. I don't want to hear about that."

"He left my cousin for another woman and took ¥1 million from her. We found them in Russia and we killed them. I killed his new girlfriend. First, I tied her entire body up and then I put her in a tub with only her head poking out. Then I painted her face with milk and honey."

Sasuke blinked in horror as Naruto told him the tale, he did not know what form of execution this was and he had never heard of it. Naruto laughed a little and the Uchiha watched.

"And that helped the flies feed on her. We kept her alive for a few days, feeding her so that she would have to swim in her own feces. And then, after a few days, the worms and maggots started eating her. You don't have to bury people alive, Sasuke. You can watch them decay right before you."

"Naruto, please." The Uchiha whispered softly. He didn't want to hear those things. Or even face them, but he had gotten himself into this. He had met this man and fallen in love with him, with his desire to help the people and power to kill them too. Sasuke was a long way gone from living a normal life, and he blinked away the pain sitting in his stomach from enjoying the story and execution deep down.

"Karin killed the man, but her kill wasn't as interesting as mine. She placed him in a clear box and we searched around the house for the money. Unfortunately, he hid it in the walls of his new home and rats got to it first. And so she got the rats and we put about ten of them in the box. We watched them bite him up for days until he died. And I'm still not sure what killed him. The diseases they carried or the loss of blood. Either way, we never left until the rats started eating into his stomach and mouth."

Naruto licked his lips with a small smile, recalling the memory. And it exercised his heart and soul. "You can call me sick all you want, Sasuke. You knew what you were getting into, but you're still here. Why?"

Sasuke opened his mouth to speak, but Naruto continued never giving him the chance.

"Is it power, Sasuke? Is it all the fucking gifts I give you? The survival? You know every student in that class the day I took Yugito should have been massacred, buried in the same mass grave, soaking in their blood. Are you staying because you know you'll be killed?" Naruto shook his head with a heavy laugh, but there was an underlying sadness to it, as if he believed he were being betrayed. "Maybe you're fucking Neji and using me for money."

Sasuke's rage burned over his common sense with the same vigor that encompassed his grandfather during the bombing of Nagasaki. He threw his hand backward, and flung it forward, watching as it whipped across Naruto's face. The subtle crack of skin hitting skin made Sasuke's hand vibrate. And already he could feel the sting in his palm reaching to his fingers. It was red and held the same mark Naruto had upon his face.

The blond was still staring with disturbance. He reached up to his cheek slowly, and touched it cautiously; delicately. The blond looked at his fingers, his eyes dilating at the sight of blood.

Sasuke should have felt remorse, but he didn't. Not one organ in his body could produce guilt. None. They could only produce fear. Because Sasuke Uchiha was surely going to die now. He made Omo bleed.

"I stayed because I love you, fucking idiot." He growled. The tears were not in his ducts, but they had flooded his chest with a tsunami and he could feel them rising up. "I wasn't supposed to fall in love with you, but you made it easy. I fell in love with your passion to help the poor; the hospitals, the orphanages, the schools. I fell for your concern when it came to your family; Your dead father, grandfather, and grandmother. The pain when you speak about Nagato being shot in the head. Your smile everytime you talk about Karin. So don't you dar say I'm in this for the money.

Money can't buy love. Neji can't give me love. And do you think I could give a fuck about dying? There's an invisible bounty on my head from anyone who rivals the Namikaze cartel. From anyone who hates Omo. Because I'm seen everywhere with you. There is no more getting out. I'm stuck with you until you kill me for slapping you or you let me go for good."

Sasuke was crying now and Naruto was looking away. He had thought coming to see Naruto would make him feel better. But now everything hurt and he felt betrayed. The blond said nothing, so Sasuke took it as his cue. He opened the door, one leg out now.

A hand upon his arm, gentle and guilty and sorry.

"Sasuke…" Naruto whispered. The Uchiha turned his head, facing the man and waiting for something to be said; anything.

"Sasuke, I'm sorry. Don't go. Please."

Gently, he pulled the man back into the car and they hugged. Naruto hugged even tighter, trying to give the words he could not say. And then, the raven's anger died into nothing, all his bad thoughts and words blowing as ashes in the wind. "I'm sorry too." He whispered back.

"Sasuke, I…" The blond looked him in the eyes and leaned forward, coming close and leaning in.

Sasuke put a hand on his chest. "Ill, no. You have blood on the side of your lip."

Getting over his hurt of being pushed away, the Namikaze smirked. "That's the best part." He sang.

Sasuke laughed, climbing back onto the man's lap. "You're sick." He whispered, but this time, he was smiling. And still, he leaned forward and kissed the side of Naruto's mouth, grimacing as he licked the blood away.

He leaned back and almost snorted at Naruto's awwed face. "Please close your mouth, Omo."

"You have no idea how much that turns me on." Naruto smirked.

"The name or the blood."

"Both."

They laughed together. " _I don't know how to sleep, I gotta eat, stay on my toes."_

Sasuke giggled when Naruto sighed and grabbed his phone. The man's fascination with American rap was simple, but his fascination with this certain artist was downright complex. He had been listening to Jay-Z, or Sean Carter, since he was just eleven years old. He respected the man's hustle and lifestyle, saying that "Jay and I are just two sides of the same coin. We know the poverty and crime, but we know the hustle too."

"You love this man too much." He smirked. "I'm beginning to worry."

Naruto laughed and feigned offense. "Jay-Z is a god that fell from heaven, but he still must be worshipped."

Sasuke just shook his head as Naruto answered the phone. "Moshi Moshi." He murmured. There was speaking on the end that Sasuke couldn't understand. Naruto nodded. "Handle it, Shikamaru."

Sasuke watched the man's brows furrow, before he leaned up with seriousness, his mouth held in a deep frown. The raven put as finger on Naruto's toned stomach, rubbing it soothingly. Naruto's eyes skewed to him and the man relaxed greatly, sighing as the man on the other end spoke.

"I'm on my way. Call chouji and tell him to be there." Naruto hung up, resting the back of his palm on his nose.

"You leaving me."

Naruto sighed. "It's vital business. But, I don't want to go." He murmured.

Sasuke shook his head. "It's business. You have to. Besides, don't worry. You can come back to see me tonight." He climbed off the man once more, this time climbing out of the car for good.

He watched the blond nod and he leaned back in to kiss him. "Can you try to make friends with Neji?" He asked. "I tell him the same. You both need to respect one another because you're both very important to me."

Naruto stared at Sasuke for a moment before nodding. "I'll try, Sasuke. I promise. I'll see you tonight."

* * *

"Are you going into work today?" Neji questioned, collapsing on the bed with a heavy huff. He grabbed hold of his shirt and pulled it away from his body. "Kami. Sore wa atsuidesu."

Sasuke took off his reading glasses and closed his book. "No. I was going to pack tonight, but Naruto wants me to meet some of his partners at a party tonight. Why don't you just go and turn on the air."

Neji glared at the ceiling. "The fucking engineer major down the hall keeps turning on the heat. I'm this close to going and fighting him."

Sasuke laughed and Neji did too. That was how good friends were; one moment, they were at one another's throats and then all was forgotten.

"Anyway. What are you wearing?"

"Naruto bought me this really nice velvet suit. It's all black."

Neji nodded. "Cool. What time are yo-"

A soft knock at the door and Neji and Sasuke looked at one another. They stared until another knock was called upon, a full minute after the first.

Sasuke blinked and blinked until Neji stood in annoyance. "I hate you." He muttered.

The door was opened and Neji forced out a small smile. "hey." Moving to the side and in walked Naruto, who was smiling big and wide.

"I have a proposition for the both of you." He looked to Sasuke and the smile disappeared as fast as a ghost in the night. "Why aren't you dressed? The party is in two hours."

Obsidian eyes ran down the Namikaze's form. The maroon tuxedo fit his form perfectly and Sasuke felt embarrassed by his own clothing.

Naruto saw his eyes. And he too smirked at the baggy sweats. "Damn you, Sasuke. You really know how to rock the lounge wear. No one else can do what you do in those pants."

Sasuke laughed, his embarrassment easing. "Shut up!" He yelled in amusement. Naruto was such a sweetheart. He took any situation or moment and he made Sasuke feel like a king.

Naruto smiled. "You can get dressed at our next destination. Your dorm is closing today, and I need you both to pack up in the next ten minutes."

"Nar-"

"No questions, pretty boy. Just pack. I'll help."

Over the course of the next ten minutes, Naruto helped Sasuke pack his things that he could fit in that dorm room and Neji packed his own things, he too confused by what was going on.

The Uchiha smiled softly as he went down to pick up a photo album he'd made when he was 15. On the cover was he, braces and onsie as Reo stood behind in his bank teller suit.

"Is that him?" Naruto asked, coming to stand by him. "Your grandfather?"

Sasuke opened the book and laughed at a picture of his first birthday. Cake was all over him and he was so happy. On side of him was Reo. And despite the effects of the bombing, Reo looked like the happiest man on Earth. He was hugging Sasuke and smiling at the camera and suddenly, Naruto missed Betsy more than anything.

* * *

 _ **Kabukichō, Tokyo**_

 _ **October 11, 1985**_

" _Uh oh. It's Naruto's birthday and that means he gits all he wont for today."_

 _The child giggled in his chair as the woman came up to him with an object he didn't know. But he had heard and seen the color around the house and it was so pretty. "Boo." He called out._

 _His oji came into view then, his oji who loved him so much and looked so different from the other people around this home. The man smiled and spoke something. "The frosting is blue. I think he loves the attention. Wait until the party begins. You excited, Naruto?"_

 _The child didn't understand the words, but the man looked happy and so did Oba, so he smiled too, giggling because it made everyone smile._

 _He watched Oba place the blue thing on the table and she touched her head. "Gots to git myself ready 'for all these people come over. I look a mess. Been cookin all day."_

 _Oji laughed, smiling brightly at the woman. "Betsy-chan. You look absolutely wonderful. Don't worry."_

" _Say it all you want, but I-"_

" _Pitty." Naruto called, interrupting them to gain all attention back._

 _Oba turned back as did Oji. They stared at him until Betsy hummed in question. "Hmm?"_

 _The child's head turned slowly to one side before he said, with difficulty of the words, "wook pitty, mommy."_

 _Although the boy's speech wasn't up to par and he didn't know lots of words yet, those words were not hard to comprehend. So Betsy smiled. "Aww. Thank you little man. Thank you my little baby." without question, Oji lifted him with pride._

" _What a smart child. Little Naruto already understands chivalry."_

* * *

The nostalgia was happy, but there was a painful longing for the moments long gone. Moments that would never happen again. Naruto swallowed as he stared at the photo, a small smile etched upon his face.

"You alright?"

The blond smiled at Sasuke, who was already staring at him. "Yeah." He murmured. "Nostalgia is a beautiful monster, is all."

Sasuke smiled sadly too and he placed the photo album in a box. "Well, I'm all done. Where you taking me, Superman?"

Naruto smiled and snapped his fingers. Instantaneously, several men began moving in, nodding and smiling with enthusiasm as they grabbed the boxes and left.

"It's a surprise, Damsel in distress."

Sasuke laughed loudly, blushing when Naruto grabbed his hand. "Fuck you." He breathed between laughs.

Naruto moved away slightly, smiling. "We're in a rush. Come." The Namikaze turned to Sasuke's roommate. "You can drive with us, if you'd like, Neji. Well, it's up to Sasuke." The blond smirked softly. "it's his car now."

There was a delicious moment where Sasuke's face washed blank with confusion, like his brain cogs couldn't turn fast enough to take in the information from his wide eyes. Every muscle of his body just froze before a grin crept onto his face, soon stretched from one side to the other showing every single tooth.

Even the lasting light of the dorm room couldn't outshine his smile. "Nuh uh."

Naruto laughed. There was something about Sasuke Uchiha that made him feel so young inside, but not in a childish way. He awoke the pure side of Omo, the best side. Their energy vibrated in such a unique way, each the perfect compliment of the other.

Sasuke was a superhero. He made Naruto feel strong. His smile alone burned the blond's soul into a beauty it could never have achieved on its own. Before they met, he was one, now he was half; yet somehow so much more than he ever was before.

Naruto wasn't simply 'in love,' he was well and truly smitten.

He watched Sasuke run outside and he laughed wholeheartedly when he heard the student squeal in delight. "It's the Chrysler Imperial!"

The blond looked to Neji. "Shimashou ka?"

* * *

Sasuke stared in awe at the home before. Naruto had said this would be there final destination the day before the party, but there was confusion where there should have resolve.

"What is this?"

The house was a series of rectangles constructed of steel and glass. It was unapologetically modern. It stood amidst the manicures lawn as if beamed there rather than constructed. The roof was flat and there was no visible chimney.

Naruto smirked. "It's a home, Sasuke. Have you seen one before?"

"You know what I mean, baka. I know what a house is. What I don't know is the reason you brought us here?"

"You said you wanted to take summer courses, right? But you couldn't stay in the dorms?"

"But, Naruto, I-"

"No no. I know. Just go inside and if you don't like it, I'll keep it."

The raven wanted to further argue. Because financial and location issues weren't the only obstacles that stopped him. But Naruto looked so proud of himself that he closed his mouth and walked toward the home.

Inside, the walls were fashionable shades of white and the floor polished wood. The only organic matter in sight were white orchids on the dark cherry coffee table. The kitchen, to the right as one walked in, was large enough for an army of chefs. There were two ovens and acres of brown flecked white granite on which to prepare food. But in the cupboards there were no pots or pans, no spatulas or sieves.

Sasuke moved left of the kitchen, which led to the living room. It was spacious and beautiful, glass tables and ivory seats. The man laughed when he spotted a poster of Pizzicato Five upon the wall. So Naruto had decorated.

His dark eyes continued to scan the living room that was apparently his, until he froze.

And when he froze so did the wind and the heart and the limbs and the world and time. And if it were listening and not paying attention to the stars, maybe the universe would have stopped too. It would have. It really would have.

Sasuke blinked because then he would feel like a cliche like those American actors in those American films. But his body shook and his throat tightened and his breath stopped….and….and he had no choice or control.

He could take the pain no longer and he moved forward and fell to the floor in a dishevelled heap, his emotional equilibrium becoming soft tears. The raven cried silently and controllably, hiding them in Reo's shirt.

"How?" He whispered.

Reo, who had been hugging back even stronger, pat his back. "That Namikaze boy said you missed me."

At the mention of Naruto, Sasuke moved back in interest. "You met him." more of a remark than a question; more of relief than concern.

Reo nodded and Sasuke unconsciously began to once over the man. He checked his nostrils and his eye and his skin, trying to find anything out of the ordinary; anything that hadn't been taken care of in the two months that Sasuke hasn't seen him.

"One month ago, he came to me, said he knew you. I saw it and I trusted him. He asked me to leave our old small home and come here so that you could be close to campus and care for your old Oji at once. A nice young man, I'll say. Very high in partner material."

Sasuke's cheeks darkened. "Oji." He scolded softly.

"Better than the house itself right?"

Sasuke turned, finding Naruto standing by the door with a soft smile. Neji was behind, staring in shock at the sight of Reo Yamaguchi, who hadn't seen in months.

Sasuke sniffed, wiping his nose and smiling. "Thank you, Naruto."

Naruto only nodded. "I'll be back in two hours alright. I'll let you both get settled in and catch up with Yamaguchi-sama."

"Nonsense." Reo called out. "I told you to call me Ōji, Shōnen."

Naruto smiled apologetically. "Gomen, Ōji." He smiled at Sasuke. "Sore made, utsukushī."

* * *

Sasuke stared at himself in the mirror. The velvet suit was beautiful on him. Naruto was going to love it. Before, he felt subconscious about meeting business partners of Naruto, who were obviously cartel members, but now he felt a lot more confident and comfortable. With this, he felt powerful.

The man sighed contentedly and left his new room. Knowing Neji was asleep, the raven waved softly to his closed door.

His grandfather had fallen asleep on the soft couch, as he always did. It was his habit. The television was still on, but the late night news had taken over the network.

The raven leaned down, kissing his grandfather's cheek gently. "I'll be back tomorrow morning. Love you." He whispered. Grabbing the remote, Sasuke placed his hand over the power button.

Before he could, however, Kiso Yugito's face appeared on the screen.

"In breaking news, an execution video has gone viral. The video shows two men of the Namikaze cartel, their faces and marks of their bodies covered. Yugito, college professor and now known member of the cartel is tied and kneeled. The video continues on silently before the victim's head is violently dismembered by a chainsaw. It has been taken down for it's violence and investigators are trying to find the men responsible."

Sasuke covered his mouth in shock and flinched when there was a knock on his door. The man stormed over and swung it open and without thought, he hissed "you killed him?"

Naruto raised a brow.

"Oh don't play dumb. The same man you pretended to arrest has just been fucking beheaded by a chainsaw."

Naruto blinked and grabbed hold of the Uchiha, pulling him out and closing the door. "Keep your voice down."

"But you can brag about killing people like it's an award winning hobby? Naruto, what was the point of killing someone?"

"It had to be done, Sasuke. Not only did he mess with my product, he was Jōhō teikyō-sha."

Sasuke shook his head, crossing his head with sadness. "I still don't think it was the right thing to do."

"Sasuke. I know right and wrong. For me, the wrong things are right. That's my way. That's my habit. And I can't apologize for that baby. So are we going to the party or what?"

Sasuke shook his head. "I keep seeing all these things and ignoring them. I…" he turned to Naruto. "Now that I know who you are, I mean who you _really_ are, and I don't agree with that killing, will you kill me?"

Naruto stared at him and Sasuke could see nothing but blue in his eyes. There was no thinking and that much was clear when the Namikaze grimaced and pulled out a heavy pistol. Sasuke froze when the cool metal touched his forehead. The click of it's safety leaving was the only sound he could hear.

"Do you _want_ me to kill you, Sasuke?

* * *

 **Japanese words used here:**

Kore wa orokadesu means "this is foolish."

Doko e ikitai translates to "where do you want to go?"

Īe means "no."

Kami. Sore wa atsuidesu. Translates to "God. It's hot."

Shimashou ka means "shall we?"

Sore made, utsukushī translates to "until then, beautiful."

Jōhō teikyō-sha translates to "information provider." In this case, a snitch.

* * *

 **King's Habit is a term used for the effects of this stories well known drug. Cocaine is very addictive, but despite my research, I couldn't find whether or not it's used for a dealer or a fiend. When they say king, I think of a kingpin. And therefore, it would be his or habit of selling.**

 **Here, the King's habit is killing. Naruto; lord; Ōmo; whatever you want to call him is the King and his obvious habit is killing people. From the sick nature of enjoying to doing it like a hobby, Naruto is addicted to killing people as shown with the pistol to Sasuke's head.**

 **This chapter seemed a bit fast paced, so next chapter I'll try to slow it down. Writer's block killed me yesterday, so now I have to hurry with the next.**


	6. Bigwig

**Bigwig**

 **Last chapter, I was so rushed, I didn't get the chance to thank my reviewers, followers, and favorites.**

 **Thanks guest Yami Heart for reviewing. The brutal killing methods are real. I've researched killing methods done in age old days and I've researched executions done by the cartel. Your reaction to Naruto putting the gun to Sasuke's head was my reaction too XD. Except it was like, 'how dare I do this to my readers?' but that's the thing. I'm writing Naruto here with a personality and hunger so brutal, he'll stop at nothing to get his way. Not even for the people he enjoys.**

 **And guest Dark. I'm glad to help. If my readers aren't enjoying the story, what am I writing for? In this story, Sasuke is his own man. He's an independent double major who works at a coffee shop, takes care of his Oji, and hates snow cones. He could walk away from Naruto anytime and not even be bothered. But he doesn't because he loves Naruto. But does Naruto love him?**

 **FranBunny, you have my exact reaction everytime I read a Narusasu fic with a distinct edge to it. And to be honest, I'm loving the powerful Naruto too. ;)**

 **Anyway, I should probably start. Thanks for all the support guys. It's really helping a lot.**

* * *

The gun was a Belgian-made FN semi-automatic pistol, Sasuke noted. He had seen the black thing before. Naruto had taught him a few things about weapons. The weightless metal currently smashed against his head, hard enough to leave a mark, was easy for instinctive firing.

Naruto turned his head to one side. One brow was lower than hell and the other raised up; rejoicing. His face was in a clear scowl, but it was all confusion. "Do you want me to kill you, Sasuke?"

Sasuke licked his chapped lips, staring at the icy blue eyes of his lover. "If this isn't a test, go ahead and shoot me, idiot."

The metal was removed and Sasuke rubbed his head as Naruto turned around in anger. The blond stormed over to the car, muttering to himself, and Sasuke followed involuntarily. They sat silent in the car, the tense mood still hanging in the air by an unbreakable thread. The Uchiha was still shaken and not shaken all at once. Yes, he could have just lost his life, but there was something deep down saying " _Naruto wouldn't do this. Not to you of all people, Sasuke."_

"I couldn't do it." the undertone should have been soft, like honey, but it came out difficult because there was an inner turmoil connected. Naruto shook his head and rubbed his eyes. "I... couldn't even pull the trigger. Christ. I…"

"Naruto…" Sasuke began.

"You told me to kill you and I hated you for saying it." Naruto groaned, leaning up and resting his head on the steering wheel. "How could I not? How could I _even?_ I couldn't kill you; I still can't. And I knew that for months. What if one day, I _have_ to kill you, Sasuke? And I can't because I fucking love you."

Sasuke's brows shot up and his mouth opened. He assumed the conversation would go a completely different direction, but this way. But there was a warning to his heart and he let Naruto continue.

"I can't change the way you think. I can't change what you believe in. But, I hate that, no matter how much you tell me how to run my business, no matter if you tell me that a murder I ordered was wrong, I can't kill you. I don't want to. I like you so muc- love you so much that I wish I never met you."

The blond turned to him, a sadness in his eyes before it resolved into love. "I can't hurt you, Sasuke. I don't want to. And I will never. I love you."

Without thought, the Uchiha opened his door and left the car, leaving Naruto utterly astounded. He covered his mouth as he climbed into the backseat and sat quietly, staring at the man staring at him.

"Well…." He asked, shaking his head in expectancy.

Naruto shook his head, uncertain of what to say or do.

"Naruto, this is the part where I have sex with you. Like those movies; after someone proclaims their love, you know? They fuck in the backseat, so come on."

And Naruto laughed, his shoulders shaking at the comments made by Sasuke. The Uchiha had a way of lighting the mood even if it was bashful and inappropriate.

"Sasuke…" he whispered with a smile. "Sasuke, I really do love."

The Uchiha smirked, and unbuttoned the suit jacket. "And that's the magic word, equivalent to please. So come. Let's gets this over with because I'm horny and we've been waiting for this for months."

Naruto took the keys out of the car and he also got out, climbing into the back seat of the car with the Uchiha. "What of the party?"

"They can wait for Ōmo." Sasuke murmured, rolling onto Naruto and unbuttoning his suit.

When they were undressed in the large backseat, Sasuke had made Naruto lean up with his tan back against the window.

Upon seeing what the Uchiha was doing as he got on all four upon the seats, the Namikaze let out a breathy moan. "Sasuke. I can't take you anywhere, can I? You're a freak."

The Uchiha smiled and leaned down. Naruto shook his head, grabbing the other by the chin and pulling him up. He opened his lips in expectation.

With a tender touch, he placed the length of his mouth alongside Sasuke's. Their upper and lower lips blended into one; the edges and corners matched perfectly. And Naruto couldn't take the heat.

His tongue darted inside the raven's wet mouth in an moment. So swift to the bulls-eye.

He explored every corner of his mouth with his greedy tongue. Ribbons of saliva ran down Sasuke's chin and splashed naughtily on his puckered nipples, cool from the summer air, cool from the arousal. He could hear hear the pale man's little whimpers of passion.

They were music to his ears.

Sasuke's mouth, Sasuke's lips, Sasuke's tongue were a violin he played with a frenzied passion. The raven gasped for air, but sucked in more of his tongue.

The Uchiha moved back downward and faster than a bullet, his pouty lips engulfed the head of the tan cock. Pre-cum oozed into his mouth. Naruto watched as the other tasted him and felt the sticky stuff with his pale fingers.

Slowly the long haired teen took his cock into his mouth. Deeper and deeper, leaving Naruto amazed at his ability to deep throat his entirety and not gag. Sasuke was concentrated on his work. His cock-sucking expertise was worthy of an experienced escort; better than any girl Naruto ever messed with.

Ōmo was in a heaven he didn't even believe. The wetness of the student's mouth was sheer magic. He saw the saliva gush from Sasuke's lips and run down his chin. It fell like a waterfall of liquid gold onto him. The image heightened Naruto's sense of approaching explosion. He could feel the stored-up cum swirling around inside his testicles.

He reached down and held Sasuke's head in place with both of his hands on the back of his dark hair. Sasuke knew what was coming because he felt the sudden enlargement of the penis buried deep in his mouth. Still, the first sharp squirt of cum went hard into the back of his throat.

The raven swallowed desperately, trying to keep up with the flood of cream pouring in hard streams deep inside her helpless mouth.

Naruto felt the cum rising in a torrent of creamy fire. His balls were churning and the cum flowed relentlessly. The shooting streams exiting his sensitive penis tip filled the pretty boy's already sopping wet mouth.

His torso shook violently as Sasuke lifted his head and swallowed visibly.

He tried breathing, but it was so hard; so heavy. And Sasuke looked fine. Sasuke looked alright. Sasuke looked pleased as he climbed closer to Naruto, straddling him. Just the movement made the Namikaze horny again.

He shook his tired head. "You are something else entirely."

Sasuke smirked and he placed a leg on either side of Naruto, making the blond smirk too.

"You want a ride?" He questioned.

And Sasuke giggled and shook his head. "Jesus. You're so corny."

His face was red and flushed and he stared at Naruto's chest instead of his blue eyes. Naruto sighed in relief and grabbed the raven's chin, pulling it up so that they were staring at one another. Sasuke was so beautiful, and it was something he knew. It was something he flaunted like a college degree.

He had soft dark eyes that were even better narrowed; pale skin that reminded Sasuke of vanilla; and a pretty face not common in Japan. On top of that, Sasuke worked his ass off in school and had a good heart beneath the icy brines.

Naruto shook his head, completely smitten. "God." He whispered. "Who was stupid enough to let you go?"

And when he said it, he meant Neji and any other guy Sasuke dated before. Because until now, Sasuke was giving this prettiness to all punks. Boys who didn't give a shit about him enough to give him a better life.

The Uchiha hugged him close. "That's why I'm with you. You ain't stupid enough to lose me to another guy in them streets, right?"

Naruto kissed. He kissed him gently, trying to suppress lifting the raven and sitting him firmly upon his cock. But it couldn't be suppressed. Sasuke moved back and groaned in pain as Naruto's entire member pushed inside him. He was obviously in pain, so Naruto leaned up and hugged him.

He kissed the Uchiha everywhere and after a while, the whimpers Sasuke had everytime Naruto thrusted in and out became moans of pleasure.

It was more passionate than both had imagined and Naruto spent the next hour whispering and hugging and kissing as Sasuke rode him out.

"Mm. Sasuke, I would do anything for you."

And Sasuke panted back "talking at the wrong moment."

And the blond would purr "but it feels so right."

" _I have every reason to love you."_

Sasuke moaned loudly after that one, and he came with a gentleness, still bouncing up and down on the blond as his cum kissed their stomachs.

Naruto bit upon the Uchiha's ear and came, long and hard, into the man.

He rested his forehead on Sasuke's, both men breathing hard and not caring. "I wouldn't trade this night for the world. Not even as Ōmo."

Sasuke smiled. "I'm yours."

"And I belong to you, Sas."

* * *

"Would you calm down? You look beautiful."

Sasuke pat his hair down softly and rechecked his door for the final time. "Ask if you business partners will be here. So I have to look presentable."

"But you do. Now come. We're nearly two hours late."

"And who's fault is that?"

Naruto reached a hand out incredulously. " _You're_ the one who wanted sex."

Sasuke blushed heavily, but before he could argue further with the man, a soft voice cut them off.

"This your boyfriend?"

The raven jumped and turned when Naruto's smile grew big and wide.

When Nagato Namikaze was shot, Naruto told him, the shrapnel of the shotgun went through his brain. It had went through his flesh, then his skull, then his brain. The wound caused his brain to swell for months. And even then it was hard for him to speak.

When Nagato Namikaze had been shot, it changed his appearance. The man's face was dented in at the top right and back. There were dark smudges where the skin was rubbery. And then there was the glass eye that didn't move as well as the human one.

When Nagato Namikaze had been shot, Sasuke had been warned. But there was a guilt that ran through him at the sudden surprise of seeing Nagato like _this._ He blinked away his discomfort as Nagato smiled. Blinked it away slowly. But then he saw it and it went away. Right there with the moonlight trying to outshine it, he saw.

 _Naruto smiled brightly at Sasuke, holding his holding hands. "I'm telling you, Sasuke. He's a superhero like you. When Nagato Namikaze was shot, not even the bullet could stop him from moving."_

It was there and it shown a face that said it would be damned if the moon tried to steal the show. It was there in his soft smile and the way he carried himself with such power and Sasuke felt like a fool for seeing the monster before the human.

And he must have really been an angel. Because it wasn't the moonlight that made Naruto's eyes glisten when he moved to hug his cousin. Sasuke smiled hard enough to show his dimples when the men rocked back and forth, squeezing tight.

"When did you fly in from Tokyo?" Naruto asked.

"Chōdo saigo no yoru."

Naruto moved back, but Sasuke noticed the way he did not let the man go. Not even for a moment. "Karin said you would not be able to make it. That you had business."

"Well... I had it and now I'm done."

"So everything's good? The trade went well, hai? How many kilos were importe-"

Nagato laughed, cutting the blond off. "You have too many questions for a man who's got too few answers. This is a business party and _we_ can discuss inside. Now, I'd like to know…"

Nagato moved from Naruto and slid before Sasuke. "Is if this beaut isn't your boyfriend." gently he grabbed hold of Sasuke's hand, raising it to his lips and kissing it. "Because if he isn't, I don't mind finding a last minute plus one."

Sasuke was flattered as he always was when someone gave him the smallest bit of attention but the man he held dear was right behind Nagato. And Naruto shook his head, a soft smile playing at his lips as he watched Sasuke gently tear his arm away.

The Uchiha smiled at Nagato, but his eyes held a seriousness to them as he muttered. "I'm a human. And I can speak for myself."

Surprisingly, Nagato didn't lose his smile as he shook Sasuke's hand. Instead, he laughed softly. "This is the fiery Sasuke. With more passion than Naruto at nine years old."

The blond's eyebrows furrowed with confusion as he began to counter what he did not understand. "Was that an ins-"

"Sasuke. For the past months, over the phone, Naruto talked about you as if you put the planet in this Galaxy and asked God himself to care for us. Now at first I thought it was a lie and he was going through a phase because really… who could gather the attention of Ōmo.. and at _first sight._

I doubted it the moment Karin told me about how in love Naruto looked back in May. But now, there are no other words to say besides that I am a fool."

Gently, he hugged Sasuke. He rocked the man as if he were hugging Naruto and the Uchiha sighed in comfort. "Thank you." His dark eyes widened when the soft breeze whispered, trying to speak out words that may not have been appropriate for the moment. But they blinked even more when the wind handed the words to Nagato himself. And the gunshot survivor whispered in kindness. "Thank you for taking care of him. Thank you for giving him something to smile about."

And although Sasuke felt good to hear those words and know he helped Naruto without knowing, there was a loose end in the appearance of a small first date at an arcade. Who was Naruto Namikaze before they met?

Nagato moved away, showing him that smile that conquered hate and he looked between Naruto and Sasuke, thinking and dreaming about singing great.

"Well, boys. When I see a beautiful mansion before me, I don't just stand there. I go inside. Come."

As he began walking ahead, Naruto moved up and grabbed hold of Sasuke's arm, beginning to walk with him.

Sasuke looked up at the man, his eyes watered. "You were right, N. Not even the bullet could stop him from moving." To survive a gunshot wound to the face was something heroic. To live on and smile knowing that you would never look the same, bullet fragments would forever be implemented and unable to remove from your skill, and still smile and enjoy yourself. Now that was something legendary and inspiring. And when Naruto had said that Nagato's own father was just like him and named after his dead uncle for being inspiring, Sasuke had no doubt.

Naruto smiled, a small blush to his cheeks. "I'm so glad you like him. Oh and by the way, he and Karin really like to exaggerate my emotions. Isn't that what family does?"

Sasuke stared around the nice garden path of the home. "Are you saying you don't really love me?"

"Let's not go too far."

Sasuke smiled like an infant who just watched his parents clap for him. "So you do? And you did fall in love with me?"

They had nearly reached the front when Naruto gave him a secret look, like the insides of a forest the world never gets to see. "No. I fall in love with you every single day. People can do that."

Sasuke blushed heavily. It was like Naruto had asked him to carry his weight. And when Sasuke saw how light it was, Naruto was already done studying his own weight. Because there wasn't a man that made Sasuke blush like Naruto did.

"What's wrong with you? Making me all flustered before we go in here?"

Naruto just smirked as the door was opened and a man with dark hair and sharp eyes stared them down. "Anata wa totemo osoidesu, Namikaze."

Naruto raised a deep brow at the man, as if to say 'do you question me?' "Personal business, Nara."

"Sounds troublesome coming from you."

"You questioning my ethics?"

They stared one another down for a moment. Sasuke was wanted to punch Naruto for even trying to ruin the mood. Did the blond have to place fear in everyone? A long night it would be.

But the Namikaze smiled. And surprisingly, he broke first. The blond moved forward and hugged the other man, Nara, just as tightly as he'd done with his cousin.

"How are you, Shikamaru?"

And Sasuke bit his lip. One of Naruto's most trusted hitmen was named Shikamaru. A Hitman. A professional killer.

As they spoke lovingly to one another, Nagato had leaned over to Sasuke. "Shikamaru Nara. His best friend ever since they were kids. Got a friend like that and Naruto never needed to worry about who to give his money to. As soon as they got some money, Naruto gave him millions just for being there."

"Really?" Sasuke asked. Because there were things that Naruto liked keeping inside, as if he could only rock them with a gentleness. As if these were things not even he could understand.

"Yeah. Naruto always says said only the people who went hungry with him would sit at his dinner table."

Naruto turned to them, a smile as he grabbed Sasuke by the hand and pulled him closer. "Sasuke, this is a very good friend of mine ever since I can remember. Shikamaru Nara, one of the most trusted members of this business. Shik, this is Sasuke. My boyfriend."

The Nara smiled brightly. "That's a first. It's nice to finally meet you, Sasuke. I already know you're something wonderful."

"It's very nice to meet you as well."

Shikamaru smiled at Naruto in a way to say something Sasuke didn't even know. "Come on in, you three. Sasuke I want to introduce you to everyone."

* * *

And when he said it, he did. Shikamaru Nara had took him around to meet everyone as Naruto spoke with partners in 'business.'

He had met almost everyone. Karin Namikaze wasn't like Nagato. Neither was she like Naruto. Like her eyes that Naruto swore were her own and like her hair that Nagato said took hours to curl, Karin was fiery. Unlike Nagato, it was hard for Sasuke to speak around her. Unlike Naruto, she was brash. Uncoordinated and not a born leader.

But Sasuke loved her immediately. He liked the way Karin carried herself amongst men as if she were the king. She had her own way of doing things and that had lost her the spot as Ōmo. But Naruto loved Karin and she loved him.

 _Karin's the in between of us, Nagato and I. She isn't an inspirer nor is she a leader. But, Sasuke, the realest guy on my team is that girl. I swear._

He then met Madoka, who was an Original Gangster of the cartel. He was quiet sitting alone in the home, smoking a cigar, the tattoos upon his face and arms telling everyone who he was. One of the Namikaze triplets. The young one. They called him smoke because you could almost always find a cigar between his lips. Speaking, asleep, in the shower, the man breathed tobacco leaves like fine air.

Misaji Namikaze was the more reserved OG. He could give a look and you'd be dead that same night. He had been forced to become the older brother when his older brother Minato was killed. And he had been forced to make Naruto an even greater lord. When Sasuke met him, the man hadn't said much. There was no 'nice to meet you.' No 'welcome.' But Sasuke had heard enough about the man to know how he worked and lived.

 _Saji? He's a slow guy. But that's cause Saji don't move for nobody, Sasuke. Not even me."_

And Sasuke met men like Kisame who Naruto said flew like bird in the air. They called him shark because when he was born, his father tried drowning him after killing his mother.

 _Left him in the bathtub for hours and he never died. And doesn't he look like a shark?_

Suigetsu had an orange glow around him that was smothered in pure envy when he met the Uchiha. But as a commercializer of the cartel, Shikamaru had said, he was harmless. His mother had called him _zero_ since he was a kid and the name stuck.

 _They call him zero because he'll never amount to nothing, but when I picked him up off the street, there was fire in him not even Satan could comprehend._

Rocky Mush was a hyper and talkative soapmaker of the organization, but an interesting character no less. Naruto enjoyed his company. His real name was Rock Lee, but they called him mush because his luck was literally mush.

 _When were were you younger and went to the baseball games, the gatekeeper would give Mush his tickets already in pieces. But really, if it weren't for bad luck, he wouldn't have any luck at all._

There were so many other people around the large house. Some very nice others who didn't so much as give Sasuke a glance. He held conversations with a few, but everyone mainly talked about themselves.

There were women around, dancing; entertaining the card players in the large dining area. There were men and women leaning to the table as the thin white cocaine lines disappeared in their noses. Men standing around in suits speaking jovially to one another, nearly stopping when Sasuke walked by, staring in hunger.

And although meeting people was tolerable, the Uchiha for a headache growing in the back of his mind. Nagato and Shikamaru let him sit then, telling him to stay at the in-home bar and lounge so that Naruto would find him.

"Alright. Thank you. Nice meeting you too."

Shikamaru smiled. "You too, Sasuke."

And finally, the student was left alone to think and dream, the ideas rocking through his head like ship's at a distance. Out on the water, carrying the tides to shore.

"Sumimasen."

The raven looked up from his small glass of water to find a nervous waiter. With his small vest and tie, the man also carried with him a wine glass on a silver platter. The drink must have been made to look at expensive.

Seeing that he had Sasuke's attention, the waiter lowered and presented the glass to him. "Compliments of the man to your right."

Sasuke shook his head softly. "I'm sorry. I don't drin-"

The look in that waiter's eyes had enough power to make the ships at a distance turn away, leaving Sasuke barefooted and broken on the shore, waving them down.

There was nothing like fear to tear you up on the inside until it got to the outside. Fear was all this waiter had upon his face. His dark eyes slanted over the right of Sasuke unnoticeably. Sasuke turned. And there, to his right was a brown haired man, his blue eyes upon Sasuke and the waiter like a stellar sea eagle.

By sudden fate, the Uchiha's eyes trailed downward, to the polished pistol beneath his calloused hands. And somehow, Sasuke knows that the bullet isn't for him, but the waiter. The man pleading for Sasuke to take the drink. The man given a task that if failed, something had would happen.

A faint soul ever since birth due to his own mother and Oji, Sasuke grabbed the glass and held it up in the air. He stared the waiter down and proclaimed loudly "you are a very persuasive man." Taking a sip, the raven hid a grimace at the taste of alcohol. He hated alcohol so.

And it is only he and the waiter that know he just saved a life. "Arigatō." The man whispered and then he was off, back to the kitchen or any other table that needed assistance.

Sasuke gave it five minutes before the man who had given the drink came over. Surprisingly, it was a good twenty seconds. Not long after the waiter disappeared, the brown haired man sat next to him.

"I saw what you did." The man murmured.

Sasuke blinked away his surprise. The man had an obvious American accent, but he should have seen it before. He didn't look Japanese like many men here. And there was a smugness about him that made Sasuke uncomfortable.

The raven's eyes went to the table the man just came from, where the pistol was still laying down. "And I saw what you had. Threatening someone's life if they don't deliver a drink is somewhat childish and idiotic."

"And you know?" The man smiled.

"If you have power, why use it for something so small like that? Why threaten an innocent life?"

"You would do well to not question a powerful man." The American huffed.

And Sasuke physically snorted because Naruto "Ōmo" Namikaze, the most powerful man of the Japan wasn't in this room and still Sasuke had stood up to him as well.

"I would never be silent in the face of injustice. If there is something wrong and if there are people being treated wrong, I will always speak. No matter if it is against a cartel member."

The man smiled at him. "Well, if you want my opinion-"

"I don't," Sasuke interrupted. "I have my own."

And that silenced the man. Sasuke was now uncomfortable, nearly bitter, and all the more hostile. As if he would give this man the time of day. The Uchiha wanted to believe it was due to his eagerness to kill that waiter. But there was a hidden forest between them, quiet and sodden, in the middle, lying beneath a leaf, was the truth.

Sasuke had listened to all the stories about Betsy's life from Naruto. He had heard about how Betsy wasn't a forgiving person. Racist people had done wrong to her and she still managed to not hate. But Naruto had listened all too well and he once looked at Sasuke and said with bitterness "I fucking hate Americans."

And the truth beneath was so hidden. Naruto's constant obsession with Jay-Z made that clear. When Naruto spurred off about how privileged Americans thought they were, he wasn't saying he hated all Americans. No, there was only one group Betsy spoke about when she talked about all the hate she faced.

* * *

 _1992_

" _You always appreciate your daddy, ya hear?"_

 _Naruto nodded as he stuffed a pretzel between his lips. Karin muttered an 'okay' sleepily and, Nagato, who had been watching television, turned to the sudden words by Betsy._

" _Ain't no tellin' when you ain't gone see him agin. I was eight when I lost my own daddy. Was born in Southern Florida in 1928. And I was born with de darkest skin in America. The worst time to be born with that skin in that country._

 _My mama had me in the barn behind these whitefolks' place we worked for. And my daddy was always workin. But one day, I member comin home from the nigguh school and I done seen my daddy hangin from de tree._

 _See, daddy was a nice man, but he was a nigger man. And don't yall go round sayin that word cause it's bad. It'll set you stomach on fire."_

 _Naruto pointed at Betsy, a gorgeous smile on his lips. And Betsy smiled at him too despite the sadness. "But you say it, mommy."_

" _And my stomach is on fire to this day, boy. So don't you let it happen."_

" _Mkay."_

" _But yes, they done hang my daddy right there on that tree and left him there on display like the liberty lady. White people believed that whatever manners we had, under a dark skin was a jungle, baboons, snakes, poisonous creatures, and unimaginable waters. They hated us and feared us, but it was them. They put the jungle inside us black folks and hated what they made. I still miss my daddy to this day._

 _I know I done met good whites. Like your own grandmother. But sometimes, there's a whisper in my heart."_

 _Naruto watched the woman with sadness, Karin, a faint soul, with shock and Nagato with disgust of what people could do._

" _Ain't no bad luck in this world but whitefolks."_

* * *

When Naruto Namikaze said he hated Americans, he meant white people and that was all. Betsy was a forgiving person, Naruto wasn't.

And sitting here, now hostile over a life he never meant, maybe Sasuke wasn't forgiving either.

Was Naruto a closeted racist? No not at all. But did Naruto hold some discomfort toward Caucasian Americans? Absolutely. No question.

"What's going on, here?"

At the sound of Naruto's voice, both Sasuke and the other man turned. Naruto scowled at the man.

"I see you've met Lenny. What are you doing here?"

"Karin-"

Naruto stopped him with a raised hand. "I hear the first word and it's already a big problem. When I told you to stop doing business with Karin, I cut you off completely. Karin shouldn't call you for business. You shouldn't call her. I call the shots. Not Karin. I'm the boss here. So what I need you to do is get up, get the men you brought here and leave immediately."

It had grown increasingly quiet in the lounge as everyone had stopped to see what was wrong with Naruto.

That was the thing about Naruto. People loved and feared him. Anywhere they went. He was a nice man to the poor. He gave money to the doorman just for opening the door. But he was the bigwig. When he came into the room, his mood was theirs.

Naruto turned, pointing to the same waiter that served Sasuke. "Make sure he's gone in ten minutes. If not, kill him and anyone associated."

The blond stormed off, angry and muttering to himself. Sasuke followed after, giving one last look to Lenny, who sat dumbstruck. He followed the blond out into the main ballroom.

Upon seeing Karin playing cards, the blond grabbed hold of her arm. It wasn't harsh, but it was enough to take Karin by surprise.

She scowled at him. "Hey. I'm on a streak here." She growled. In that room there were about twenty people and Sasuke saw the anger in Naruto's eyes and the reason before he spoke. She was challenging the man before everyone that worked for him.

He turned to her and in the silence he said. "If you struggle, I will. _Fucking._ Break it!"

And Karin ceased all movement as fear filled her eyes. In that room was Shikamaru, and the rest of Naruto's family. And when Sasuke began following Naruto to the kitchen as he dragged a silent Karin, they did too.

Naruto opened the doors and threw Karin away. The woman stumbled in her heels, but still managed to keep upright as she glared at Naruto.

The blond pointed with vigor. "Don't say a word. Don't say a motherfucking word. What did I tell you about doing business with him, huh? _What. Did. I. Fucking. Tell. You?"_

"About who?"

"Don't fucking play dumb!"

Sasuke watched Karin flinch and he believed her. He had never seen Naruto this angry. Yes they got in their fair share of arguments, but Naruto was seething, spit flying out of his mouth as he screamed. "They white piece of shit I told you to kill seven months ago or stop doing business with him! You did neither!"

Karin sighed now, caught and unable to lie.

"If you don't get rid of him, the American DEA will be on our asses!" Naruto pointed. "I should have killed him myself! I should have known you would never-"

"Naruto!" Sasuke yelled. He didn't like this. He didn't like the way Naruto spoke to his own cousin. The blond looked to him as did the other occupants of the room. "Calm down. That's no way to treat your cousin."

Naruto blinked. Blinked at Sasuke until finally, his face wasn't so red and he breathed normally. "You're right." He muttered, pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled infinitely. Turning to Karin, he spoke in a calm manner. "If I hear that you are speaking with him again, I will kill him brutally and I will feed him to you secretly." And then he turned to smirk at Sasuke. "Better, beautiful?"

Sasuke blushed when he saw everyone's eyes on him, but he couldn't fight the smile when Naruto's own was so bright and directed at him. "You're sick."

Naruto laughed. "And you're here."

The doors opened, revealing the same waiter that has served Sasuke and was then in charge of making sure Lenny and his men were gone. And Sasuke was beginning to think that he was more than just a waiter. "Ōmo." He called. "One of Lenny's men are refusing to leave. He wishes to finish his card game."

Naruto scowled.

"But there is more, Ōmo. Bolade and Sha have arrived and he is offending Sha."

And then the blond's face was back red. "Sha?" He questioned with incredulous. "Kami. Of all people, I hope it isn't Sha. People call me Lord so I expect my part to be played well. So what, Shik?"

Shikamaru crossed his arms, now offended by the news as well. "Lenny will not be a problem by the end of the night."

Naruto nodded. "Let's go entertain our guests."

* * *

After meeting almost everyone and smiling so big and hard and listening to their stories about themselves, Sasuke wanted to meet no one else of the cartel.

But then he met Bolade, the other trusted hitman. Bolade had come from Nigeria and opened shop in Japan. When Naruto was fourteen, he tried robbing the man at gunpoint. And oddly, whatever happened on that day, they had become friends ever since then. Bolade had come from the Yoruba tribe with his wife who was exceptionally younger than him, but still of age.

They called him _Killer B_ because even Naruto had lost count of the people he was ordered to kill.

He was an interesting man, but Sasuke was more interested in his wife. She was beautiful and had demanded everyone's silence when she stared at them. She was dark; darker than Killer B and anyone Sasuke had seen in Japan. Her skin had a glow to it that made it look like she wore makeup, but she didn't. She was a rare stone. He liked her hair; she called them Bantu knots. And he liked the way she wore a skintight dress to show her curves and still managed to cover her body.

Sasuke was already smitten and he wasn't even straight. There was just something about Sha that drew him near. In fact, it drew everyone near. The man who had offended her had said nothing really, only something along the lines of wanting her in a bed.

Sasuke almost asked aloud "who could blame him?" But he didn't. Instead he shook Sha's hand. The one she wasn't using to smoke her cigar and smiled brightly at her.

"kini ọkunrin ti o ni ẹwà." She said to him. He didn't understand a word, but he still smiled because it sounded nice. She laughed. "It's Yoruba. You a' beautiful." And Sasuke blushed. Her African accent was very thick, but he could understand her well.

"I am Sha, Nawuto's friend and wife of Bolade. I've hea'd great things."

Sasuke had heard nothing of Sha as he didn't much with people like Shikamaru. There were things that Naruto wanted to keep inside him as if they were sacred. As if once seen by the tainted world, they would disappear.

"Sasuke Uchiha. It's nice to meet you."

A jovial laugh cut them off and both turned to the man who had offended Sha as Naruto pat him on the back.

Sha shook her head. "Nawuto's a fool fo' enta'taining that man befo' killing im. A man like that doesn't desa've it. He is a soldie' that followed behind that Am'ican boy. e isn't wich at all."

"Not rich at all?" Sasuke questioned, wanting to hear more.

"Yes. e would ave fle'ted with you too. A wich man doesn't flatta' people. A wo'd of advice, neva' give these men none."

"Why?"

"If they can't make you wicha', they can't make you cum."

And Sasuke smiled because Sha wasn't just the wife of a wealthy hitman. She was intelligent in her own way. And they spoke for the rest of the night. Sasuke learned that Sha had a degree in business and she played a heavy role in the cartel, going as far as not only killing men, but calling some shots too. Sha learned that Sasuke was still in school leading a double major. She also learned that he wanted to be a civil rights lawyer.

They talked about their families and Sha told him that one day she would take him to Nigeria. She liked Sasuke because he too was intelligent in his own way. She liked Sasuke because he could walk out that door and never look back. And he'd be just fine without anyone.

Sha leaned forward, offering the cigar to Sasuke. Softly and to not offend, Sasuke shook his head. "Oh. I-I don't smoke. I'm sorry."

The woman smiled pulled her arm back. "Don't be sow'y, Darling. Be thankful. It'll 'uin a pretty face."

"But you're really pretty." And he hadn't meant to blurt that out, but it was much needed. Like water in the throat on a scorching day; like hope in the world. Needed like that.

And she gave the most beautiful smile. "Thanks sweethea't."

They called her Widow Maker and Sweet Lips because she had he fair share of crimes. But she was like one of those pretty mob wives that knew more than they let on. Sha sweet lips. And only Bolade really knew if they were sweet.

"I like you, Sasuke. I think we'll be ve'y good friends."

And Sasuke nodded because he believed that. He read people well and Sha would be something in his life. "Me too."

Another jovial laugh interrupted the two, but when Sasuke looked over this time. No longer was the mood free and spirited with joy and understanding. There was a mood that didn't belong. The man who had refused to leave was still laughing, but Naruto and Shikamaru were serious. They stood looking at one another before Shikamaru nodded at Naruto, as if giving the man an okay.

Naruto nodded along, and he placed a hand on the man's soldier. "Let's go outside. It's stuffy and hard to breath."

The man nodded, letting Naruto lead him out like a mutt. Sha and Sasuke looked to one another. But neither man or woman moved until Bolade swiftly pulled two table sheets from the mahogany table.

Sasuke sighed when he walked outside, finding Naruto talking to the man calmly about disrespect.

"Ichi-ri shika Nihon o hashira seru koto wa dekimasen. And the people did not choose an American man. They chose Ōmo. And for you to come into my world and refuse leave, it hurt me. And the only way to retaliate...is to hurt you. Put your hands behind your back."

The man grimaced, but at the helpless stares around him, he could not fight. Who would help him? Sasuke stared not in helplessness, not in confusion, but in anticipation. Naruto's entire night was crazy and Sasuke knew that it was going to end like this.

They had bound his hands behind his back and his feet as well. And when that was finished, there were no words to say but may your soul rest in peace. And Naruto didn't even give him that decency.

He pushed the man down, and everyone watched as he struggled in the water. No one said a thing

Sasuke blinked as the man tried swimming up to no avail. And Sasuke prayed.

 _Mary, Mother of all, pray for us sinners. Now and at the hour of our death._

Naruto smirked when bubbles began rising, telling the world that the man finally began breathing, letting the water fill his lungs and kiss his inside and kill him.

 _Amen._

His body ceased movement in the water.

* * *

 **Japanese words used here:**

Chōdo saigo no yoru translates to "just last night."

Anata wa totemo osoidesu means "you are very late."

Sumimasen means "excuse me."

Ichi-ri shika Nihon o hashira seru koto wa dekimasen translates to "only one person can run Japan."

 **Yoruba words used here:**

kini ọkunrin ti o ni ẹwà means "what a beautiful man."

 **Bigwig is a common term for anyone who may sell drugs or is the leader of an organization. It can be used for local drug dealers that may run a city, but here it's used for people like Naruto. Those who run organizations and have too much power to hold. Naruto's 'bigwig' power is shown here, especially when he is able to drown a man and no one does a thing.**

 **I wanted to give Sasuke insight on how is part of the cartel and I wanted to give you guys insight on how Naruto is around other people.**

 **We've met some new characters in here, including my OC, Sha. Just saying, I already love her.**


	7. Dream

**Dream**

 **Hello friends. Thanks for reviewing and especially thanks for all the feedback about spelling and other errors. I usually rush to get a chapter done and even then, I still have no time to look it over because my three day update span has me moving.**

 **And usually, it's after the chapter is updated that I go listen to it and read it so that I can contact and fix errors. So thanks for letting me know. Behind every great writer is an even better reader.**

* * *

 _Tokyo, Japan_

 _February 5, 2004_

Sasuke swung his legs in the air as he studied the papers and textbooks before him. "I can already tell this is going to be a rough spring semester. My stats professor hardly knows what he's doing. How will he teach us?"

Naruto was working at the table and he was sweating with his shirt off. Sitting down and sweating like that; Sasuke had no idea how.

"Never went to college so I don't know." He muttered focused and concentrated. Sasuke sighed loudly and dramatically.

"He's going to be placing us in assigned seats based on how well we solve this question. But there's a typo in the question. The question should continue as _x_ plus five. What do you think, Naruto?"

 _Sweet,_ Naruto thought. How sweet it was that Sasuke could sit with him all day. How sweet it was that he wanted to include Naruto in everything. As if not being a student would break him to pieces. _So sweet._

"Never went to college, so I don't know." He grunted out again, smiling when he heard another loud sigh, almost as heavy as the universe, growing and straining. Almost as loud as sound, nerve-wracking and deafening.

The blond hummed in concentration, leaning closer. "Hm. This looks a little weird. It isn't supposed to be this yellow. Tell me I'm not the only one seeing this. Do you see this, Sasuke? Doesn't this look odd?"

Sasuke leaned up on his elbows more to look over Naruto's shoulder. When he saw the package of Cocaine in its glory sitting before Naruto, he rolled his eyes and went back to his work. And with a mood that rocked him, he mocked "never dealt cocaine, so I don't know."

And it backfired on him because it always would. Naruto turned and smirked at him. "No kidding?" He asked with feigned surprise. Sasuke shook his head with a smile and looked back down to his problem.

"Sasuke, come look at this?"

"Hold on."

"Sasuke." The blond called again, immediately growing impatient. That was the thing about men like Naruto. They encouraged you to put their weight in your hands so that you'd have no other choice but to let go of your trials and tribulations, and live theirs.

"I said hold on. I need to fix this unsolvable problem and write an explanation for my correction. Your deal gone wrong can hold on. My degree can't."

A huff from the blond; to signify his lack of agreement and his indifference with agreeing anyway. "Fine."

That was thing about men like Sasuke. They encouraged you that you needed to live your own life, while also making sure you knew they had their own. Men like Naruto needed men like Sasuke. So that curse could be broken.

Sasuke laughed quietly and continued to explain to his professor why the question was unsolvable. And then he went on to explain how he had fixed the problem. And finally, he solved it. In all, it took about half an hour and when he was done, the raven stood with a smile.

He laughed loudly at Naruto's impassive face. "I can't believe you took almost an hour to write an essay to your professor."

"Oh hush." The Uchiha said, sitting on the man's lap. "You know how important school is to me."

"You're right." Naruto mumbled an apology, kissing Sasuke's chin when the raven threw an arm around his back and hugged his head to his chest.

Sasuke enjoyed the small things. A casual kiss from Naruto didn't always have to be on the lips. Sometimes, they were anywhere because he'd said any part of Sasuke was sacred. Sasuke enjoyed small pecks to his nose and chin. He took comfort when Naruto's lips lingered on his cheek or forehead. He liked to laugh softly when Naruto kissed his eyelids and ears. The smallest things were easily observed and they had the largest impact, like a drop of rain that becomes a flood.

"Alright. Don't tell me you called me over just to whisper to me."

Naruto leaned up. He reached across the Uchiha's lap to grab the cocaine wrapped in plastic on the table. Sasuke's delicate shiver that passed through his body when the blond's hand ran across his almost bare thigh went unnoticed.

"This here is a kilogram of cocaine from a plant I own in Columbia. Or at least, it should be."

Sasuke stared at the perfectly rectangular prism block, his interest peaked. "What do you mean it should be?"

"You were right about it being a deal gone wrong. You see, when I was just 15, my father helped me buy land in Columbia using the money we had demanded almost four years earlier from Kiba's father. My own land of coca leaves. And with this, I hired men and women to work for me on that plant. They manufacture the cocaine and they send it to me by ship."

Naruto smiled. "Every month, there is a shipment of almost 20,000 kilograms of cocaine coming to me. 20 metric tons a month. With that, I have it manufactured in some of the buildings I own. One kilogram is worth ¥165 thousand and we sell 20 metric tons a day. So my cartel averages ¥3.3 billion each day. Each month, we make the equivalent of America's $29,778,705."

Sasuke's mouth parted slightly. "Wow." He murmured. "That's a lot of money. Do people really pay that much for one kilo?"

Naruto smirked at him. "They do if the product is worth it. After my product is done being mixed with cornstarch, sugar, vitamins, and flour, I ship it to three places.

The sea of Okhotsk will take my drug to the Russian Far East. The sea of Japan takes it to the Korean Peninsula. And finally, the East China Sea will take the cocaine to China and Taiwan. That's where my drugs are going and they pay good money for good product. Only problem is…."

Naruto leaned up and grabbed a small knife, used well in taking a life through the stomach or across the throat. "This isn't my product." He sliced the plastic open only a little and stuck his finger in it. And surprisingly, he pushed it before Sasuke's nose.

Sasuke's entire mood changed and his own hand raised, only to slam it against Naruto's face. "Don't you ever try to give me drugs in your life. Do you realize how addicting this stuff could be? How life ruining it could be?"

Naruto grunted and held his face. "It's not drugs, you asshole. I wouldn't just give you drugs, Sasuke. _I_ don't even do drugs. But I know what this is. I need you to know what this is."

"Why?"

"Because you'll be with me a long time and my business will be too. I'm teaching you the basics."

Sasuke glared hard as he yanked Naruto's hand. "Don't sweet-talk me." And still, he cautiously leaned down, carefully putting his mouth around Naruto's powdered finger and slowly sucking it. Leaning back, the man hummed. "It's flour."

Naruto licked his lips, seemingly stuck somewhere between the living and the dazed as he stared at Sasuke's mouth. "Um um um yeah. Not an ounce of cocaine in there. Someone at one of the factories is taking the cocaine and substituting it with flour. Or-"

He cut himself off when he caught Sasuke's eye again. Placing his large hands on either side of Sasuke's waist, Naruto lifted the student with ease and stood carefully, placing the Uchiha back down in his seat.

Sasuke raised a brow in confusion when the blond rubbed his neck and inhaled. "As I was saying. Or Someone at the farm on the outskirts of Quibdo is sending flour."

Sasuke wanted to be very serious, but Naruto standing like that in the middle of the room wouldn't allow it. "Naruto." He muttered. Though the man continued his hunt of finding out who stole his drug.

The blond strided back over to the desk. He touched the false package and skimmed his finger over it. "Shipment 14. Number 42. Kilos number 40-80 are manufactured in the Yokohama factory."

Naruto slammed his hand on the table in anger. It was so loud, it echoed throughout the room. So hard, the flour splattered all over. "Kuso!" Grabbing his cell, the blond moved over to his bed. He caught Sasuke's eye again and scowled. "There is nothing funny about this, Sasuke."

"You have a boner."

If Naruto, who was now red and embarrassed, was going to say something, whoever he called had picked up the phone and he couldn't. "Mushi, Sha. Could you get Bolade on for me." The blond nodded as if she were speaking with him. "Yes, Sasuke is here."

The Uchiha smiled big and waved. "Tell her I said 'hi.'"

"He says hi." And then back to Sasuke. "She says hi. Alright. Yes I promise to come see you soon. Sasuke loves you, I bet he can't wait to hang. Alright now."

There was then a silence. Not a rough one, but one that had politely knocked and closed the door behind. It had asked Naruto if it could sit upon the bed before even squatting.

Sasuke smirked at Naruto from across the room and stood. Still maintaining eye contact, the raven fell to the floor on his hands and knees and began crawling. Naruto gave him a serious look and shook his head mouthing 'no,' but the raven was on his way.

"B." Naruto began when the silence, who had been sitting on the bed, had stood softly, patted down the covers, and left. "We've been mushed."

The blond's breath hitched when Sasuke had made his way over, unzipped his pants, and completely engulfed his member. "Um. Send me the live feed of Quibdo. I'll hook it up in my security room downstairs."

Sasuke hummed, making Naruto yelp. "Y-yes. I'm fine. Is it done? Good. I'm going to send a falcon down to the Yokohama factory. And then I'll send Nagato to check the rest of 40-80. See how much we've lost. Alright. Thanks. Talk to you soon."

When he hung up, Sasuke gave one long final suck and smiled as Naruto moaned very loudly, gripping the sheets as he came.

"I told you I saw a boner."

"I can't take you anywhere." Naruto murmured, helping Sasuke of the floor. "You're crazy."

Sasuke hummed, leaning his head on the blond's shoulder. "Naruto. Why don't you send me to Yokohama to check it out?" When the blond said nothing, Sasuke leaned up. "Think about, if you send a falcon in, whoever's substituting the product for flour will notice and stop. But as soon as that falcon leaves, it'll happen again."

Something passed over Naruto's face. "You're right."

"You know how smart I am, Naruto. And you know I observe too well. Send me in as a new worker for two days and I swear I'll find something."

Naruto looked as if he were thinking about it. And no more was the silence soft, but nervous. It came in hopping around in anticipation and biting its nails. So when Naruto said "okay," there was big relief. "But what about school?"

"Courses don't start for another month. But you can't send anyone else in to back me up. I need to know if I can do this and I need you to trust me."

Another nod. "But, Sasuke. You know that if you do this, you're in. There's no going back on that. You're apart of the Namikaze Cartel's drug running business and I want you to think about that. Sasuke, you have a choice not to be involved. Sha didn't have a choice when we were young. You do."

"I need you to trust me."

"I trust you, Sasuke."

* * *

 _Two days Later_

Sha observed him as she sipped her tea. "Awe you sa' you want to go in, Sasuke?"

Sasuke nodded. "I've never been more sure about anything in my life, Sha. I want to do this for Naruto. But I love him and he loves me. If I'm going to be with him for a while, I _need_ to do this for _me_. I need to see how this business runs."

The woman smirked at him. "You'we jozt like me when I was younga'. Five yeaws ago when I was sixteen."

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly. "Wait. You're Naruto's age? Well, a year older than he?" At her nod, Sasuke's brow furrowed as he processed what it all meant. And although there were so many questions, Sasuke felt that maybe it wasn't the right time to ask. He felt that maybe he should get to know Sha more before he asked her deeper questions. So he nodded and changed the subject slightly. "Wow. Anyway, I do feel like I should do this for myself?"

"That's good. I'm glad you ave you'we own fwee will in this. But do me a favo', Sasuke?"

The Uchiha watched her face deeply, more so to admire it than anything. But he shrunk back when he could not find her pretty smile or those soft tree eyes. Instead there was the sadness of life who knew the only way out of the world was in the arms of death. "Yes, Sha?"

"Do not give Yoa' life to anyone. No matta' if you love them. You a' a diffa'nt men, yes. I see that in you. But sometimes a man can only be that. And it's the wosst thing about im. Don't fo'get about school o' dealing with who you a'."

And then she had done something unexpectedly. She leaned forward and grabbed his pale hands, bringing them close to her brown face. "I envy you fo' catching the eyes of a sweet man like Nawuto, but I am so appy."

Sasuke's brows went down even if it wasn't possible. He looked around her nice home and leaned closer. "Sha. Is there something you want to tell me?"

The sound of walking down the steps cut the man off and Sha moved back as if she had touched fire. And Sasuke wondered if hell was just like Sha; fire and hurt, yes, but sewn beneath the roses and honey.

Naruto raised a brow at both as Bolade followed after him. "I imagine you two are getting acquainted."

"Sha and I are making plans for my return." Sasuke smiled softly.

And Naruto smiled too. He moved to Sha and bent down, kissing her forehead and muttering about how he hadn't seen her when he came in. She in turn, rubbed his face. "ow a' you, white boy?"

Naruto laughed at the nickname. "I thought you said you would stop calling me that."

She sent him a small smirk. "I lied."

And even the smallest words made Sasuke realize that everyone who knew Naruto had years on him he couldn't get back. Anyone in this business was bound to know a lot more about Naruto, and have years of experience with him. Sasuke wasn't like that. He was new, even if he was directly tied with the cartel's boss.

"You hear me, Sasuke?"

The Uchiha blinked out of his daze and turned to Naruto. "Hm?"

"B here was just telling you that your plan to go into Yokohama instead of a falcon was incredibly intelligent."

Sasuke smiled at the man. "Thank you, Bolade."

The hitman took his hand and shook it as an actual first time meeting between them. "Call me B."

* * *

 _Namikaze Cocaine Factory_

 _Secluded forest_

 _Yokohama, Japan_

 _February 9, 2004_

Sasuke put on his apron and gloves, breathing deeply as he readied himself for war in the dressing room.

 _When you first go in, whether you're new or experienced, you go through security and they check you. Then you'll be put in the dressing room where you'll be given clothes to make the product. After that, you'll be checked again before going into the big room._

Sasuke stood, pushing all his fears to a part of his mind that would never be used again. Leaving the room, he nodded to a security guard for checking. Naruto had said it was too be sure no one brought in anything that the police could use against him. Tap wires; small cameras; anything like it. The raven allowed them to frisk his body and as they stepped aside, a small paper was placed in his pocket.

 _You'll be given a working station. All workers are required to have a certain amount of packages done by the end of the day. The first number of your station is the row, the second is your column. Despite having a solo station, the factory is still very open, so don't worry about having to go out of your way to check out the other workers. It's a drug manufacture, not an office cubicle._

"R 4; C 5." He muttered, placing the paper back in his pocket when the numbers were embedded in his soul. The Uchiha nodded a thanks to the silent guards and pushed along, opening the door before him. He stared the factory down as the other men and women stared him down. Quickly as to not draw attention to himself and fuck this whole thing up, Sasuke scurried to his work station.

Despite his initial thoughts of the station being grimy and dirty, it reminded Sasuke of his own labs in school. The table was clean and the materials Naruto said he would use were beautifully separated. The Uchiha placed on his goggles and the lab coat hanging by the station and went to work.

 _Come over here, babe, and look at this. You're going to take the dried coca leaves under the table. There should be about 3000 kg of coca leaves beneath the table. First, you need to take about 600 kg and dust it. The lime water is on the table and what you need to do is soak it. Kerosene is an organic solvent that needs to be added and mixed vigorously. And it'll help separate the leaves and cocaine. It should take 2 days, but it depends on how well the coca leaves have been cut. And my leaves are cut well._

Sasuke smirked lightly as he bent down and grabbed a bundle of dry leaves. Some he believed to weigh exactly 600kg. And sat them on the weighing machine. After a while, it read 600.2 and Sasuke went to work. Despite his initial thoughts, the process was fun. The Uchiha enjoyed soaking the leaves and he whispered his process for the next day, Naruto's words in his brain.

"The cocaine will still be dissolved in the solvent. Tomorrow, heat the mixture so that the remnants of wax from the leaves can be removed."

He continued to mutter to himself about the process of manufacturing cocaine until a voice cut him off.

"Wow...Anata wa hayai."

Sasuke looked up to the man that had spoken. He looked a lot older than Sasuke, maybe Nagato's age and he was watching Sasuke's process with interest. Sasuke took note of this.

"Thank you." He murmured. Naruto's words went through him.

 _All the men that work in the Yokohama factory are men and women I took off the street. Most of them are young. Some college dropouts, some people disowned by their families, others just homeless. My point is, you need a story, Sasuke._

"Wasn't good at coursework, so I figured I might be good at this."

"Drop out?" The man asked after staring at him for a moment. Sasuke nodded. "Who brought you in?"

The only people allowed to recruit workers for the coca farm and factories were the Namikaze cousins along with Bolade and Shikamaru. After extensive research on the person's profile, only then were they allowed to work at manufacturing.

"What was his name?" Sasuke feigned. "Oh. Shikamaru. I met him off campus."

The man grunted. "Oh that guy? Fucking panku. All of them are. Those big guys walking around like their the shit and leaving the dirty work to people who have no other choice but to do the dirty work. No one really knows how to manufacture cocaine except Naruto. The rest are Pusshī.

"

Sasuke swallowed the heavy lump called awkwardness as he listened to the man degrade everyone besides Naruto. His hate for people like Bolade and Shikamaru was nothing but envy, an obvious approach to subtleness. A hunger for not only doing things like a hitman would, but also being right next to Naruto.

"What about you? What are you in for?"

The brown haired man raised a brow as if offended. And Sasuke would be offended too. His question was simple, but it seemed laced as if they were prisoners and the other had done some horrible crime not worth mentioning. "I was disowned. My father is a Minister of State in the cabinet. And living under a politician is never easy. My younger brother went to college. My sister went to college. Me?" The man smirked. "I got kicked out of college. And then I got kicked out of the house."

Sasuke looked away. He couldn't imagine being the outlier in his family only to be pushed away. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"Nah. Ayamaru na. Had I stayed a minute longer, I would have killed them all and went to prison." He took a moment to look around the nice factory. "But I'm here and I'm living the life. But sometimes, living the life makes you realize you need even more, right?"

Sasuke stared at him for a while. "Right…" He murmured.

"Hai!" Both men looked up toward a high balcony where the security room was. The security guard that had checked Sasuke hours before stared down at them with anger, his glasses shining. "The product will not cook itself. Get back to work. You have seven hours."

Kankuro shook his head with bitterness. "Duty calls. Hey, it was nice meeting you, uh...What was your name?"

Sasuke smiled. "Sasuke."

The man began jogging backward to his own station. "Kankuro." He called. "See you later."

Sasuke waited a while before he reached beneath his desk.

 _Beneath your desk are things Shikamaru already prepared for you. A notebook where you can take notes, car keys, and the keys to my home down their in Yokohama. Also, these are keys to the factory, Sasuke. The only other person that has these are the security guards. You'll be gone for two days or less, so you can check the factory anytime you'd like._

Grabbing a pen, the Uchiha opened the book and began writing immediately.

 _Possible cocaine thieves_

 _Kankuro_

The Uchiha sighed and went back to work with the leaves that still needed paste to be extracted from them.

* * *

 _Mohammed Household_

 _Tokyo, Japan_

 _February 9, 2004_

The water was dirty. It had been filled with pure organic soap; she has performed Wudhu and washed her right then left hand three times; the water was pure from earth. And the water was dirty. Dirty because she had sat in it to clean before prayer.

Her body sore, Sha let the water clean her, even if she had contaminated it with blood immediately. The woman groaned quietly, and stuck her hand in the tub. It ran up her knee and winced at new territory. The leg used to be smooth to the hand, but the scar upon it did nothing but add a lumpy mountain to her flesh. The woman whimpered without sound and inched her hand away, sitting it atop the sides of the large round tub. The red liquid dripping from it made Sha raise her head.

Her brown eyes went from her dripping fingers to her body. They skimmed down past her cool dark breasts, past her private area, down to her cut thigh. And they flinched in disgust. The cut had reopened and the blood seeping from it looked like a dust storm in slow motion. Wudhu had been ruined and the water was dirty. The woman sighed, blinking her tears away as she leaned against the tub. Let her leg rot away for a moment. She didn't care. Bolade could tear her down all he wanted. Beat her, make her feel weak. But Sha would never stop praying; Sha would never lose herself to a man like that.

" _You think I didn't know what you were doing? Staring into that boy's face trying to make a pity story. Emi yoo pa ọ ṣaaju wọn o mọ."_

Sha sighed and put her palms back in the water, side by side as if to beg. Gently, she dipped her face into the soapy liquid, holding it there for a long time. When the pressure became too much, and she could feel her lungs begging to inhale, Sha lifted her head drastically, taking a deep breath and letting water from her curly hair fall into her mouth. She did this several more times despite the burning in her leg.

"Oa' Lo'd, gwant us good in this wo'ld as well as good in the he'afta'. And pwotect us fwom the to'ment of fire." She murmured. She repeated once more before standing quickly, the burning becoming fire itself. Blindly, the dark woman reached to the right for her towel, only to flinch back when she felt flesh.

"Don't be scared of your own husband, Sha." Bolade's voice was soft, but there was a mocking to it. After all they did just get into a heavy fight. He did just cut her leg and bruise her face.

Sha sighed, but she had wanted to stare up to the sky and tell Allah incredulously 'I asked for protection from the fire.' Something soft hit her breast and the woman grimaced. When had it gotten to this point? With just the mere thought of her own husband touching her and not the towel disgusted her?

"Here." Bolade murmured. "I hope that Naruto's target will be eliminated during the meeting tonight. I want you back by the end of the night."

Sha cleaned her face and stared at Bolade, suppressing her smirk when the dark bruises on his face were clear as day.

"And Sha. I should kill you for doing this to my face." He ground out, obviously angry about the bruises.

She stared at him, wrapped the towel around herself, and stepped out of the tub. "Do you think I will let you beat me without putting up a fight? O jẹ aṣiwère, Bolade."

With that, she strutted past him to dress.

* * *

Sha's business was with the cartel, but her loyalty to it was not because of her husband. She hated her husband with the hatred of the world and its people. Bolade Mohammed had been an aggressive controlling man before they left Nigeria and he had stayed the same since they arrived in Japan. He beat her because she was clever. He beat her cleverness because it had faith. Faith had been beat because in it was hope. And hope had been beat as well because in it was strength. Strength.

Her loyalty to the cartel did not stem from being with her husband. No. Not at all. Had that been the case, Sha Mohammed would have left a long time ago. Staying with a man like Bolade stemmed solely from Sha's loyalty to the cartel. Her loyalty to her good friend Naruto was what kept Sha seeing the world as something, but a bruised woman, so busted she couldn't bear to live.

"They're here." The woman cut the past from her wrist as she removed the cigar from between her lips. Beneath the glasses, she watched the black truck pull into the parking lot. She turned to Shikamaru and offered the cigar, like the nice woman she was.

He smiled at her softly and took the cigar. She did not miss the way, his pale fingers lingered on her dark ones before fluttering away into themselves. Shikamaru hummed when he watched her flinch away discreetly. "Let's wait for the signal."

Sha nodded and the two let the silence take over. Through her glasses, she watched Shikamaru take long drags of the tobacco before he handed it back to her, this time not being do discreet when he touched her fingers.

"Stop that." But it was hissed in Japanese to tell her that now wasn't the time for his play. He was smart, like her. He knew that.

"Sorry." He murmured. But it wasn't apologetic, instead said in a way as if he could not help but to touch her softly. "Why the sunglasses?"

"Weatha." She grunted, not in the mood.

"It's cloudy, Mohammed." He murmured. She knew where the conversation would lead, so she stuck her head against the window.

"Why am I he'e?" She asked Allah.

Shikamaru answered in turn. "You know why? If this deal goes right and we get our money back, we can go home, hands clean."

Sha wanted to mutter that the question was not for him and it was not what she meant. She knew she was a captain in the cartel; that she was in charge of a small neighborhood where the drugs were being dealt. She wasn't a hitman, but she had soldiers and falcons under her command. She knew why she was here? But really _why_?

The flickering headlights of the truck lit up most of the parking lot and Sha lifted her head to see three men getting out of the vehicle. One of the men she knew well. He was one of her subordinate's she'd been trying to get into contact with all week.

He was a drug dealer in the Kabukicho neighborhood. But some kilos had been sold and the money never showed up. Sha demanded the money back and she had told Naruto she would handle it.

And handling it, she and Shikamaru were. "That's us." The Nara muttered. He reached into the backseat and pulled out a Russian AK-74. He looked at Sha and smiled softly when her brown eyes lingered on the weapon. "You want to handle this one?" He asked. At her nod, he gently placed the AR on her thigh, watching her tense up. "Anything you want." He murmured, wanting more than anything to inch even closer. And this time, his messages weren't so discreet. He had placed his desires on the table, letting Sha deal with them as she wished.

And the woman took the AR from her thigh, opened the door and left the car, leaving Shikamaru to put out the cigar, grab a gun and hurry after her.

Sha was a fucking gangster.

And Shikamaru wondered was he even needed on this mission when she strutted up to the three men, stopping halfway and demanding immediately "Wha''s the money fo' the lost pwofit, olè?"

The man she addressed, her former soldier, stepped forward, suitcase in hand. "And how can I trust you won't kill me?"

"ow can I trust that the'e is ¥35 million waiting fo' me in that suitcase?"

The man's eyes widened for a fraction of a second, and only Sha saw. He smirked. "You're right."

Her head turned to the side. "I am." Without hesitation, the woman lifted the AK-74 and opened fire. The three men did not have time to get their weapons and and Shikamaru did not have time to open fire himself when they dropped.

When the gunsmoke clouded the area and the powder made it hard to breath, the bullets finally ceased spraying.

Shikamaru moved forward first, stepping over the men to get to the suitcase. "They're dead. What happened to keeping our hands clean for today?"

"You wanted that." Sha countered.

Shikamaru muttered in return, looking around. "I'll call someone to clean up. Come on. I'll take you home."

He watched Sha cross her arms in defiance and sodden fear. "I do not want to go home yet." And Shikamaru knew because he had known for years.

He smiled softly at her. "You don't have to, Sha. You know you don't."

* * *

In Sha's mind, the water is clean. It had no soap; a Japanese male and Black female sat in it, sweat on their bodies. And still, the water was clean. She lay against Shikamaru, her eyes closed as he ran the cloth along her body, whispering in her ear the sweetest things she had ever heard by a man. In this tub was infidelity.

And the water was clean because in it was not her abusive husband.

Shikamaru put his nose and lips upon her shoulder and he stuck his hand into the water and lifted her arm. As he washed it, he whispered "I think I love you, Sha."

There was no sex, Sha wanted to murmur. So where were these words coming from? Did he mean them? What was in Shikamaru Nara's head?

Shikamaru himself was in heaven. He had Sha as he always had for the past years since they met. And although she was the wife of his friend and partner in business, Bolade didn't deserve her. Sha needed a man to treat her well. He kissed her ear and stared at her face for a long time, mesmerizing the way the water dripped from her closed eyelids. And his thoughts are everywhere.

 _You wonder if she feels the same way you do. Like it might be love. And maybe it is. She doesn't complain when you treat her right. She doesn't push away when you tell her she's beautiful. She doesn't even complain when you push your hand in the water, exploring everything about her that should be worshipped. And you see her smile softly when you whisper something very unnecessary to an affair; to two people having sex because they need something in their lives besides the ones their living. And maybe, you smile goofily, it isn't just sex. You're smart, but you're overthinking this._

 _This here, what you and Sha have had since you were both 17, is love. And that shouldn't be questioned._

* * *

 _Two Hours Later_

 _Aronia de Takazawa_

 _French Restaurant_

 _Tokyo, Japan_

Naruto cut his steak gently. Lifting it with the fork, he examined the dark red meat and placed it within his mouth, his mouth watering at the juices. Looking up, he smiled at the old man across from him.

"How do you like your steak, Oji?"

Reo looked up with a large smile. "It's wonderful. I haven't been to a nice restaurant like this since my father took us out to eat when I was 12." The remark was innocent and casual, but Naruto did not know why there was a sadness to him. Was it Reo's backstory about losing his family in the bombing? Losing his wife? Daughter, son in law, and eldest grandson in a span of a month? "In fact, all of Tokyo is very nice. I would like to move here when Sasuke is done with school."

Naruto smiled. "I'm with you all the way on that."

A woman that was not with them all night came over to the table, all smiles. "Hello, Miko had an urgent call, so I will serve you for the rest of- Oh my." She jumped at the sight of Reo's face, all fucked up from Nagasaki's dark day. Other occupants of the restaurant had turned their way, some that had been staring all night, others waiting for a scene.

The waitress laughed her shock away, further offending Naruto; further pushing Reo into his hole of constant depression.

"I'm sorry. You scared me a little. Are you Hibakusha?"

Naruto's palm stung as it hit the table loudly. She jumped and Reo looked away from her muttering and apology. "Do you know who you're talking to? This is my restaurant. I can have you fired right now for your stupidity."

Reo shook his head, his eyes never wavering from the table. "It's alright, Naruto. I should have-"

"No, Oji. You can't apologize for the ignorance of other people." Naruto glared hard at the woman. "Bring me your manager and do not come back to the table."

She stared in defiance before finally walking off.

Reo looked down. "Now you know why I haven't been to a restaurant like this in a long time." Naruto sighed. He leaned over and grabbed the man's hands. "Oji. Your beauty lies in your heart and sometimes the world will never understand that."

Before he could further comfort the man, Chouji, the manager of the restaurant stumbled over, his heavy form dragging him. "You called, boss?"

Naruto flicked his finger in a come motion and Chouji leaned his weight over, putting his ear close to the Namikaze's mouth. "That woman that just left our table….put her downstairs."

Chouji's face lined determination and business as he nodded. "Right away."

Naruto's pulled out his phone, his brows furrowing at the missed calls from Sasuke and the text from Sha that read 'done.'

He stood with a sigh. "I'll be right back, Oji. I have to use the restroom." Dialing Sasuke, the blond walked off toward the back of the restaurant.

"Are you alright, Sasuke?" He asked as soon as the Uchiha answered.

"It's Kabuto, one of the security guards, and Jisa, the worker in row 7, column 5."

"Huh?"

"The ones that have been substituting the cocaine for flour." Sasuke murmured.

Naruto stopped in the kitchen, waving the cooks out as he processed the information. It would have taken a falcon days to find out the smallest lead. But Sasuke had called, not a full day after leaving and had already found two men responsible. "How did you find this out so quickly, Sasuke?"

"I used the keys and I came back to the factory four hours after it closed. I snuck into the security room and checked the cameras. The camera for the station hasn't been active in two months, Naruto. I checked the records of the workers and went to check her station. Naruto there was so much flour beneath her station. During my shift, there was only one security guard manning the cameras. And that was Kabuto. Kabuto was watching us work and he was the only one who has codes to deactivate the cameras. Well, besides you. But why would you do that?"

"Sasuke, you're a genius." Naruto praised. He hadn't expected this much observation from the student, but he was happy he had allowed the raven to go to Yokohama and check it out.

"I know. I'm sending you pictures of my notes now."

Instantaneously, Naruto's phone made a sound and he opened the image. His brows furrowed. "Why is the name Kankuro crossed out?"

Sasuke laughed a little. "Beforehand, I thought he was the prime suspect because of his hate toward Bolade and Shikamaru. But then I realized it was all jealousy. He wants a bigger role in the cartel is all. Turns out, he has nothing to do with the theft."

Naruto hummed. "I'll send a ride for you, Kabuto, Jisa, and Kankuro tomorrow."

"Why do you want to kill Kankuro?" Sasuke asked impassively. "He didn't do a thing."

"Christ, Sasuke. I'm not going to kill him. Any man brave enough to voice his hate for my hitmen because he wants to be them deserves a bigger role in the cartel. What kind of man do you take me as?" Chouji and a few other men walked past him with the ignorant waitress in their arms. He motioned to the basement door and immediately, they began their trek to the lower lever. Snapping, the blond pointed to the some plastic wrapping, nodding as a man grabbed it and headed down the steps.

When he realized Sasuke's long silence, Naruto rolled his eyes. "Oh fuck you." But Sasuke knew he was joking, so he laughed. "Look, Reo and I are out eating and I don't want to keep him waiting, so I'll call you back, alright."

He could feel Sasuke's smile on the other end. "Love you." The blond's stomach dropped in a way that made him feel all fuzzy.

He smiled softly. "I love you too, Sas."

Sasuke hung up. The Namikaze texted Sha back a quick thank you before straightening his suit. He inhaled; exhaled; took a step. Then another. Then some more until he was finally down the basement.

Chouji and his men stood around the woman who was tied to a chair. She was struggling to get out of her ropes. "Chouji-sama, is this a joke? Why am I down here? Untie me now!"

Naruto sighed. He had no time for this kind of ignorance. Quickly, he grabbed the plastic wrap, and rushed her, trying to wrap it tightly around her entire head as she struggled. She kicked in her chair, flung her neck around, even moved Naruto. But nothing was more satisfying than her slow fall as each second passed. Nothing was more satisfying then her head finally dropping.

Naruto sighed and moved back, dusting off his suit because obviously she wanted it dirty. He stared at her limp head. "Now you are Hibakusha." He looked to the men. "If she wakes up, tell her to remember the name Reo Yamaguchi." Then he looked to Chouji, the butcher. "If she doesn't wake up, cut her into pieces. Not down here though. That's disgusting."

The blond sighed heavily as he drug himself back up the steps, and back to his table. He smiled at Reo and sat. "Have you looked at the dessert you might like to try? Everything here is delicious."

Reo hummed as he grabbed the menu, he and Naruto began looking at desserts they might try. The Namikaze's phone buzzed again and he opened a message from Sasuke.

" _I didn't want to tell you when I could hear your voice. Well, I did, but maybe I was just being a coward and I'm sorry for that."_

His brows furrowed in confusion. What was Sasuke on about? And what could he be so afraid of? He texted back immediately. _Are you okay, Sasuke? What's going on?_

 _I think I'm pregnant._

Reo pointed to an item on the menu. "The beignets sound delicious. I think I'll try those." Naruto's eyes skewed to the kitchen opening, where he could see Choji grabbing large bags and heading back into the basement. And suddenly, he wasn't hungry anymore.

* * *

 **Japanese words used here:**

Anata wa hayai translates to you are very fast.

Ayamaru na means "do not apologize."

 **Yoruba words used here:**

Emi yoo pa ọ ṣaaju wọn o mọ translates to "I'd kill you before they know it." these are Bolade's, or as we know Killer B, words to Sha. He does beat her. And Sha is having an affair with Shikamaru Nara.

O jẹ aṣiwère means "you are a fool."

Olè means "thief"

 **Dream is the title of this chapter. It's an effect of Cocaine when people are in the moment and high of the drug. Dream is related to the contents of this chapter because sometimes, reality can crash down on us right in the middle of that dream. For instance, Sha is having an affair with Shikamaru Nara while thinking about the inescapable reality of her abusive husband.**

 **Also, when Sasuke tells Naruto that he may be pregnant, Naruto faces the fact that he just killed a person. Despite him going up the stairs and sitting with Reo and forgetting about it all, Chouji grabbing those bags to wrap the body is a harsh hit of reality. And Sasuke's pregnancy has the power to change Naruto's lifestyle, hence the "suddenly, he wasn't hungry anymore."**

 **Another thing, if anyone is having trouble reading Sha's African accent, please just let me know. I'll try to translate it like I do with the languages Japanese and Yoruba.**

 **And finally, it would be super awesome if you guys reviewed the chapter. Like telling me parts that you loved so that I can work on placing more of that into this sorry. Or even feedback. Feedback guys XD. No crucial criticism. Thanks and love you all.**


	8. Girlfriend

**Girlfriend**

 **Thanks to all my favorites, followers and reviewers. As always l, you keep this story going and you keep keep me on my toes.**

 **Special thanks to my chapter seven reviewers. Yaoifangirl102, FranBunny, and nameless libertad (awesome name, by the way). It really means a lot the way you feel about my writing. And now that nameless mentioned, I myself tend to get fed up with flashbacks too XD. Like seriously, I always groan when I come to a point in my drafts where I realize I have to write a flashback to explain something further. But your review really made my cheeks hurt. I smiled too long and too wide XD. Thank you so much.**

 **Where are my manners? Should I give what you guys came for?**

* * *

 _Namikaze Mansion_

 _Tokyo Japan_

 _January 17, 2027_

Sasuke smirked slightly as Ito sat uncomfortably. The raven crossed one leg over the other, taking another inhale of his cigar. He found it funny. How funny it was that such a small sentence could make a man double take.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Namikaze-san, but I don't think I heard you right. Did you say pregnant?" when he nodded, the reporter pushed his glasses up in disbelief. "Men can't get pregnant."

And Sasuke laughed. Because he had heard that enough times during his life. He had faced the discrimination and he had faced Naruto's wrath when the man dealt with those discriminators.

He leaned up and rested his elbows upon his knees.

"Let me tell you something, Ito. I was born twice: first as a baby boy on a stupendously cool morning in July of 1984. And then again as a teenage intersex in an emergency room in the summer of 1997.

Two months before I was born, my grandfather Reo Yamaguchi had ordered my brother to get his black Velvet box from the attic. There was a tradition beforehand where Oji had successfully predicted the sex of his sister Sasuke and my brother Itachi. He was also on a streak. He had predicted the sex of ten other children in our neighborhood too.

And he did all this with a compass inside that velvet box. The family had just finished with their traditional Sunday dinner, as they were Catholic and my mother, pregnant with me, began to settle down in the living room, cuddled next to my father. They would all sit around telling stories to me as I lay beneath her flesh.

Anyway, my brother knew what to do. He had ran past the living room, past the dining area and he scrambled up the steps. Past the bedrooms, to the back of the house where a small door stood. It looked like a closet from afar, but if you were brave enough to turn the rusted knob, you'd find another staircase, like my brother did."

Ito said not a word, but he enjoyed the way Sasuke told the story, adding small details as if he were present at the time and not in the belly of Mikoto. How could he know Itachi did this exactly? Nothing was certain and the reporter knew he should not believe a tale told in such a way, but it was so intriguing. Why this tale? Where did he get it from? Where is he taking it? How does it end? The questions spurred through him and he knew listening was the only way it could be answered.

"He hesitated for a moment by the door, watching the stairs with uncertainty before gaining the courage to take a step. In the back of the attic, by the window where you could see the life of Nagasaki, there was a small box. It was black and had a shine to the soft cloth. My brother knew it was the box. He bent down, stuck it beneath his arm and ran back down the steps, not caring if our father would yell later about the opened door. When he had returned the box to Oji, Oji took to work immediately. He took the box back over to my mother, who was so excited. And he held that compass over her globe belly. It was old and didn't work anymore. At least not used for direction. But the needle of the compass had spun everywhere before finally facing the west. I was going to be a girl."

Sasuke smiled softly. "He wasn't right, but he wasn't wrong either. Three months later, I came into the world, crying and screaming as I touched the world for the first time. I was spanked and hosed off. And then they placed me in a nursery room with thirteen other babies. Six girls, seven boys. All of them, unlike me, labeled correctly. But it doesn't begin there. To make you understand this, I have to go back and rewind the story. Where I'm sucked back between my mother's legs and I'm nothing but an egg. Before war was declared. Before the imperialists came. It goes all the way back to the Satsuma Rebellion.

The man that led the disaffected Samurai, Saigō Takamori," Sasuke smiled. "He was my grandfather. And his children, those small orphans with nothing to live for but each other, well, they were my great great grandparents."

Ito's eyes widened, but Sasuke noticed the smile on the young man's face. Because the tale really was interesting and even Sasuke had shivers when talking about it again and again. "His children were your grandparents?"

"Hai."

"So they were…"

"They were brother and sister." Sasuke muttered. "I was inbred two times over and I didn't find out until I was 13. But I want to tell you how it came to be. I want to tell you why I am the way I am and how it happened. You see, after Saigō committed _Seppuku_ in 1877, It wasn't safe for his children to keep the family name going. Oji told me they were twins and they had been put in an orphanage since their mother was already dead. They grew up there and the brother changed his last name to Yamaguchi. He married his sister to keep her safe and for five years, they fooled the public to believing that they had actually met as teens. But somewhere along those five years..." The Namikaze trailed off.

Ito finished. "And somewhere along those five years, they really did fall in love."

"And then Reo Yamaguchi's own parents were their children. I was inbred two times over, two times removed. But that isn't the good story. The good story happened on a warm summer day in 1997. It happened in an emergency room."

* * *

 _Kyushu Island_

 _Ariake Sea_

 _Arie River_

 _1997_

 _Along the banks of Tame river, he scrambled, his bare feet slapping against the small pebbles. The rocks were sharp and small, easy to embed into soft skin, but they did not hurt. The grass on the banks was damp from the rushing waters, but he was not uncomfortable with it._

" _Marco!" The little's girl's yell from from far behind had grabbed hold of his leg by a thread, demanding he stop and face the noise. Giggly, he turned, covering his mouth to hide in the broad day. But then he remembered the rules of the game._

" _Polo!" He shrieked back, making sure she could hear over the torrent of the flowing river, so committed in joining the Ariake sea so that it could be a part of something greater. And hear him over the determined flow, she did._

 _With her eyes squinted shut and her hands out to guide her against the rocks and edge, Hinata made her way to the sound, hoping for the slightest quiff of flesh on her small pale fingers so that she too could be polo, whoever that was._

 _With his hands still covering his mouth as if the river would stop gushing and give him away, Sasuke Uchiha looked around the landscape. His child mind did not allow him to observe and admire the nature. He could not care for the way the water looked just like the oceans, blue with freedom and wet with pride. He could not look at the grass and imagine finding the exact crayon color to create the image later when he got home. He did not care for the mountains surrounding the river, which once looked like giant trolls standing tall to give the people of Nagasaki shade from the sun._

 _The only thing his child mind had bestowed upon him was Hinata scurrying around like a rat in the night, his friend Neji afar from him, and Hizashi, who sat away preparing their lunch. That was all. Sasuke was polo and he could not be caught._

" _Marco!"_

 _Hinata had come closer. Sasuke looked down at his dirty feet, spotting out rocks that would slip if he touched them. Carefully, the boy lifted his feet and created a large gap as he stepped further away quietly. After all, that was the rule of the game they had created. The hiders are only allowed to step once each time Marco is called._

 _He looked to Neji, who's chubby face was now watching with anticipation, excitement, and hunger to win the game. Both smiled at one another and at once yelled back "Polo!"_

 _The game was fun; to laugh and giggle and hide from your voluntarily blind friend, that was fun. But one pebble in that river bank had enough power to end the fun. Sasuke put his foot on the ground and stumbled slightly, almost yelping at the sudden movement._

 _Hinata's violet eyes opened for the first fraction of a second, only to spot out whoever was close. And then they closed again as she ran directly to him. "Got you!"_

 _The pain of the pebble still etched into his skin was throbbing and itchy all at once. Sasuke glared hard at his friend. "Nuh uh! You cheated!"_

" _I did not!" Hinata defended. But her face, so red it was, had given her away. Sasuke had seen her cheat. He saw the flicker of eyes too pale to be real before they disappeared beneath the flushed eyelids._

" _Yes you did! I saw your eyes open!"_

 _The girl pushed his frame, making him stumble back slightly. That was the thing about kids, they would argue like adults; over the smallest things that made them red and seething with bitterness. But kids had different approaches to the thing called life. They fought yes, but sometimes physical fights was the only path to solving the issue._

 _She must have saw that the push did not incite him. And so, she pushed him again to defend her lie. "You're lying. You just don't want to be Marco!"_

 _Hinata wasn't an angry child ever. In fact, Neji and Sasuke told her many times "just be a little tougher." But Sasuke had caught her and she, like all children, denied her mistake. So she retaliated, trying to blame him, pushing him and then she...she...she didn't mean to push Sasuke in the river with the rocks. She swore she didn't._

 _She had done something very wrong and very bad. And when Hizashi had stood and screamed Neji's friend's name, Hinata cried. By the time they had gotten the unconscious boy from the river, Hinata's face was soaked with the water of the river._

 _ **NSNS**_

 _The landscape is different. No more are there small rocks that do not bother him. No more is the land damp enough so that he can feel the freedom between his toes. Instead, the forest has tried to give him comfort by scraping his legs with branches and cutting his feet with dry leaves._

 _Sasuke can't see where he's going, but he's running off because he doesn't belong there anymore. She did it. Hinata killed him._

" _Sasuke-kun! Please wake up."_

 _The boy gasped hard enough to put pain to his chest. There was now too much air in his lungs and it needed to be let out. "Sasuke, come back to us!"_

 _He felt the tears hit his dry lips. He felt the swelling of his feet. He felt the burning of his legs. And still, he would not return. Sasuke stopped and looked behind him for a moment to see if they could see him._

" _Sasuke.." Crying; weeping, begging for him to stop running. Why was he running away? From Hinata? From the river? From death himself?_

 _The boy turned back, running before he could see. And it had been a stupid mistake, as all he did today had been. There was a sharp pain that went from his lips to his nose and finally his temple. He could feel himself fall to the ground, but then he could feel nothing after that._

 _ **NSNS**_

 _Nature has given him away. He has stomped on the leaves, and squashed the rocks. He has ran into the tree branches without apologizing, so nature has given him away._

 _He is in the hospital by his home in Nagasaki. He knows this. His legs are bandaged, and his feet are pruny as if they have just been soaked in herb water. The ceiling is white, and there is a plastic tube over his mouth that claims it gives air, but really, he's still drowning. And he can't breath. Kami, help him breath. Please._

" _Sasuke." The call is not harsh and Sasuke looks over with sadness as his grandfather stands in the door. He sees hurt and that is all it takes to water his eyes, make them sting before lightning strikes._

 _His first words, filled with guilt and almost drowned out by tears is "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to, Oji. I swear.. I..we were playing and then she got mad, but I didn't mean to play by the river when you said no."_

 _Reo watches the snot leave the child's nose and he holds back a grimace when it kisses his lips. He also holds back a laugh; Sasuke is a clean child that hates bugs and germs, but he is so remorseful, the mucus doesn't bother him._

 _He shakes his head and comes in. "Sasuke, I am not angry with you. In fact, I'm more saddened then anything. When Hinata pushed you in the water, you scraped your arm, hit your head very badly on a large rock, and a sharp rock punctured your rib. Hinata did not kill you, but, Sasuke, she could have. What did I tell you about playing by the river?"_

" _You told me not to play by the river."_

 _Reo opened his mouth as if he had caught Sasuke. "And you deliberately disobeyed me. And look what you got yourself into."_

 _The boy's obsidian eyes went downward in sadness and pain. He wanted to escape again. And go back to the dream of the forest. Go back and apologize for stomping on the leaves and bumping into the branches so that the forest would take him back and embrace him forever._

 _Reo looked at his grandson with sadness as well. He wanted to be mad at the boy for not listening. He really wanted to, but he had almost lost Sasuke. And he couldn't imagine losing the boy; who was Mikoto everytime he smiled, Fugaku everytime his scowled, Itachi each time he cried, and Kamiko when he bragged._

 _God had made Reo. And then some angels got really jealous and they vowed to make his life hard. He was a shining diamond when the angels had taken a bat, covered in radiation and fire, and shattered him to pieces. But he still shone when he met his wife, and so the angels took Kamiko and separated his shining pieces all over the world. It would take Reo years to find them again. But Mikoto was his daughter, and on a beach one day, she had found a shining piece of a diamond that made Reo's broken eyes water and his thin lips quiver. It should have been a secret, but Mikoto was five when she displayed the piece. And she was so excited._

' _ **Tousan, I found a pearl!'**_

 _And the angels heard it. They returned to earth to find every shattered diamond piece and they covered those pieces with clumpy mud, creating car accidents, factory deaths, and deaths during childbirth._

 _God found out about it. And he felt horrible. So he went around the world in five minutes on July 23. He had found every muddy piece of diamond and he cleaned them, putting them back together before time ran out. Before Mikoto died with the child still in her. And guilty, God had brought those pieces to Reo and said "This is Sasuke. No doubt, I am giving you Sasuke to make up for the wrongs of others." To just imagine losing Sasuke was heartbreaking._

 _For Sasuke, who was still lying in that hospital bed, the white room grew dark as he was hugged by his Oji. The man said nothing, but he held Sasuke tight enough to tell him that he was indeed loved. That he didn't have to go into that forest for comfort._

 _Oji sat down beside the bed. "Sasuke, before we go home, and after the doctors have made sure you're okay, I have to tell you something."_

 _The doctors had checked to make sure his organs were fine, but they had noticed something peculiar; odd; inexplicably strange._

 _And he told Sasuke about intersex. He told Sasuke about a term that people no longer used. A hermaphrodite was someone that had both male and female reproductive organs. But that wasn't the correct term for Sasuke, or anyone for that matter. He told Sasuke about 46XX intersex, something about female pseudohermaphroditism. All these big words and things Sasuke didn't understand in his small teen mind. But apparently, Sasuke had external male genitalia, but he also held within him the chromosomal constitution and reproductive organs of a female; uterus and all._

 _Apparently, Sasuke was labeled as both male or female, even if he looked and acted like a boy. Sasuke could get pregnant like a woman could. And that made him different than everyone else._

 _His Oji told him that he was special and that he would always be loved no matter what. But Sasuke didn't feel that way. What if he didn't love himself? He could feel himself being reborn into an entirely new person. First he was a boy, and then he was not._

 _It couldn't be true, but he felt it anyway. He felt as if he were crying and screaming. He felt like he was again washed and spanked. And then he felt like someone had opened his eyes._

 _But there was something inside, not visible or physical. And he lay there in that hospital bed for a long time until finally, something fell inside him and broke._

* * *

 _Tokyo, Japan_

 _February 10, 2004_

Sasuke tapped his fingers on the dashboard of the car, the memory fading as he is pulled into the driveway of Naruto's nice home.

Naruto knew about his condition and he gladly accepted it because he was so damn smitten with Sasuke Uchiha, he didn't care what he was. And he did say it just like that, seven months after they had been dating and Sasuke had warned him about why they should have protected sex.

" _I'm so fucking in love with you, I don't care who or what you are. You're an angel. And I pray for anyone who fucks with you because of you being intersex. May God place them in peace because I won't."_

He had said a lot that day. He had made Sasuke feel loved, but somehow, Sasuke still felt weird about himself. He felt different and sometimes, he wanted to be the same as everyone else. He always felt lonely as a child when no one would notice him, but then when they did, he got worried.

It wasn't set in stone if he were actually pregnant, but he had been sick for a week before coming to visit Naruto in Tokyo. But if he were pregnant, he would take responsibility of the child. And he hoped with his heart, that Naruto would too.

 _What if he tells you to get an abortion?_ The Sasuke in his mind was pragmatic, always finding realistic issues to dwell upon.

If Naruto wanted an abortion, then he could go straight to hell. Sasuke would never think about getting rid of a child when he had helped in creating it.

 _What if he leaves you?_ Then so be it. I don't need Naruto and he doesn't need me. I can leave him right now and-

 _But you love him._

Sasuke internally screamed, trying with all his might to keep from slamming his head against the steering wheel. He inhaled. "Okay. Okay, Sasuke. You're an Uchiha. Come on."

He opened the car door so that any thoughts that came to mind would slip out and tumble down the driveway. The journey to Naruto's wasn't easy. Between the car and the door were mountains and rivers, frozen beneath heavy snow and forgotten beneath slippery ice. And when he had reached Naruto's door, the Uchiha still felt hesitant to knock. Instead, he wanted to remain outside where the cold was and freeze to death.

The cool journey was a silent killer. And Sasuke doesn't want to face the noise. And yet, he does. Breathing deeply in quiet tones, the Uchiha pushed his twitching hand forward, turning the knob.

Naruto was on one of the pretty white couches, his hands crossed in a way that told Sasuke the blond was engrossed in business. His brows were furrowed down low and his mouth was neither down turned nor up.

Across from him, Shikamaru sat drinking from a whiskey bottle, he too engrossed in their small meeting.

"If you're committed to this..." the Nara muttered. "The campaign will need to be financed correctly to give us coverage. We can't come up with the money ourselves because it's dirty money."

Naruto hummed. He scratched his nose. "We can launder the money through the restaurant, casino, and the arcade."

"And what of the audience? We can't go into a political campaign without support."

"Shik, the poor people are my people. And the poor people built this land. I have enough support. I support this country everyday, the least they could do is the same. Also, I control the media. That means I am in control of the newspapers, radios and television. Shikamaru, I can be a member of the HOC in the next hour and the world would not question it."

"But, Ōmo, the age requirement is 30 for the House of Councillors."

Naruto grunted. "Not for me." Naruto held most of Japan in the palm of his hand. Honshu Island loved him, as it was his home growing up. There, poor people believed the blond to be some kind of Robinhood. He built schools for their children, homes for their parents, hospitals for their sick. The Kyushu Island would follow him through fear; he appeared out of nowhere and murdered a well known professor of Kyushu's famous University. They would follow him through fear or they would suffer. So it wasn't arrogance that drove Naruto. It was confidence. And that was the scariest thing about him.

It must have been this revelation that made the Namikaze finally notice his boyfriend was standing there. His blue eyes studied and studied and Sasuke couldn't know what emotion was there. Finally, when Naruto was done, obviously and shamefully, checking him out, he muttered with baritone "Sasuke."

Shikamaru's head turned and he stood, smiling bright at the Uchiha. "Sasuke, Naruto told me how fast you found out who was stealing the product. Nice job in there."

He nodded in return, still watching Naruto. "Thank you. What are you two talking about?"

Naruto looked away finally and Shikamaru put his hands in his pockets as the mood shifted. "Naruto is thinking about running for a seat in the House of Councillors. We're going to run a campaign since he's serious about it."

Sasuke only hummed in return to the subject. He really had no idea Naruto was into politics, but he could almost care less about the matter or even why he was running. "Where is Oji?"

This time, it was Naruto who spoke. "He's upstairs taking a nap. We went out for breakfast and it made him tired again."

"Shikamaru….may I speak to my boyfriend alone please?"

Shikamaru looked from Ōmo to the Uchiha. Naruto looked disinterested and so did Sasuke. But finally, he listened to Sasuke. "Alright. Don't worry about it. I was just heading out. Bye guys."

The silence he left them with was awkward and silly. It tried lighting the mood by dancing and the world wouldn't listen.

Sasuke pushed right to the subject. "Did you get my text?"

"Yeah." He replied with nonchalant.

"Okay what do you think? Why didn't you reply?"

And finally, Naruto gave off an emotion. He looked at Sasuke with incredulous. Looked at Sasuke as if the Uchiha was crazy. And he asked the most vile question. "You aren't thinking about _keeping_ it, are you?"

Of course. A man like Naruto wouldn't give a shit about an abortion. He ordered children to be killed himself.

"How can you ask such a disgusting question? I never even thought of giving it up. Are you seriously that bad that you don't even care about the life of your own child?"

It offended Ōmo obviously. Because his cheeks turned orange and he bit into the air as his teeth snapped against one another. "Don't play that game with me, Sasuke? Don't you dare guilt trip me."

"So you aren't good enough to even care about a fetus? You don't have even the smallest heart in you?"

Naruto snorted because the questions were funny to him. "I'm to great to even worry about _being good_. But don't say that I don't care for the child, Sasuke-"

"Then why do you want me to get an abortion?"

"Sasuke. We aren't ready for a child. What about school for you, huh? Where will you stay for the duration of the pregnancy? Use your head."

Sasuke crossed his arms. "I'm staying in school. The requirements for a lawyer is three years of college experience. This is my last semester. You know that. I told you this. I need three more courses this semester before I get my degree. And obviously, I'll stay in Nagasaki until graduation this June. And then I'll stay with you. Oji wants to move to Tokyo anyway."

"Sasuke what about me? I'm a _murderer_ , Sasuke." He said it with emphasis that made Sasuke flinch and take notice. "I deal illegal drugs, Sasuke. I have weapons all around this house, Sasuke. Do you think bringing a kid in this world is going to change me or my business?"

"I never said th-"

"But you're thinking it. You see, I've been with you for almost two years. I know you. Did you really think that bringing a kid in this world was going to make me stop… stop being Ōmo? Anata wa machigatte iru."

"It doesn't need to change. I didn't fall in love with a good person. So stop trying to make a fool out of me. If I wanted someone good, I would have chose Neji. But I chose you, idiot. So stop trying to make me hate you."

The words made Naruto simmer down a little and a blink of sadness covered his face. And then from the world it was gone.

"Sasuke please think about giving the child away."

Sasuke looked away. "I'm sorry. I won't. It's my body, but I can also choose not to burden. You can stay Ōmo and I can take care of our child myself. I don't need you, baby. You know that."

And he had lied straight through his teeth. "When I was younger, I was pushed into a river. I had disobeyed Oji that morning after he told me not to play by the river. Oji told me I needed to take responsibility for my actions. I learned from that. Naruto, we made this kid together, and whatever lives we're living, we need to take responsibility." He turned back to the blond, desperate now as he came closer. Naruto closed his eyes as Sasuke stared up at him, running his pale hands down the sides of his tan neck and face. "Naruto, I believe we can do this. I think I can finish school and I think you can run your business as good as always. With a child too. But I need you, okay? I lied before. I really do need you. But if you're scared-"

"Don't say that, please." Naruto whispered in pain, his eyes still closed. "I'm not scared. I'm never scared."

Sasuke's hands tore away. They could sweet talk one another all day long but they would still end up right back where they started. "Dammit, Naruto, Ōmo can he scared too!"

The blond stayed quiet then, not sure what to say. He feared that if he did speak, he would give himself away. And Sasuke would know and see who he really was beneath the bad. And Sasuke would hate him for being so weak.

The Uchiha stared. "What are you so afraid of?" He whispered.

Naruto's eyes widened and they stayed that way. How could Sasuke see that? How could Sasuke see in him? It just didn't make sense.

"My father." He began. Grabbing hold of Sasuke's hand, he led them to the soft couch where he sat and kept hold of his boyfriend. "I never told you the whole truth. My father dedicated his life to making me a man, Sasuke. And everything he did, made me the man I am now."

* * *

 _Seishi Elementary School_

 _Honshu Island_

 _Tokyo, Japan_

 _1990_

" _Kawaisōnako!" The kids pushed around yelling and yelling in a circle. They were older than him and they thought his clothes were funny. They called him dirty and stinky and poor. "Naruto's a Kawaisōnako!" They would say. They pushed him around too, making him fall on the floor, not caring if he scraped up his legs in his uniform shorts._

" _Leave me alone!" He cried in anger. He did nothing to the older kids. So what if he couldn't wash his clothes? So what if he was growing out of them so fast? What did it matter? Why were they so mean?_

 _A boy laughed, stopping to kick him in his stomach. "Kawaisōnako! Kawaisōnako!" They yelled, pushing, jiving, trying to see who had the worst kind of mean in them._

 _Naruto scrambled off the ground and ran. He did not care if he left his backpack. He didn't care if his clothes were torn slightly from the rough play. He just ran. Ran all the way home with tears in his eyes._

 _The front door was opened and he stopped in the livingroom to wipe his eyes. "What's wrong with you, boy?"_

 _He jumped back, tensing and untensing as his father came from one of the rooms. He gave one look to Naruto's tears and clothes and sneered. "What happened?"_

 _Naruto roughly wiped his eyes because somehow, they continued to water. "Some kids...they were bullying me and and and-"_

" _Speak." Minato demanded._

" _They jumped me, papa. And kept calling me poor child. I didn't-"_

" _Did you at least fight back?"_

 _They grew silent, staring at one another. Naruto with fear, Minato with anger. At all the commotion, Betsy had too come from one of the rooms, rubbing her tired eyes. "Ooh. Got to git cookin 'fore Nagato and Karin git home." She looked at the two for a moment, trying to decipher something. "What's goin on out here?"_

 _Minato ignored. Naruto was afraid to speak. "Naruto. Did. You. At least. Fight. Back?" Each word, laced in venom, hit Naruto like the gunshots he heard from his window every night._

 _Once more his eyes watered and tears gushed through them like the great flood. "There were too many, papa. I ran."_

 _And he imagined his father saw red. How else had he swooped in and grabbed Naruto by the arm so fast?_

" _Papa." He cried. "You're hurting me."_

 _Betsy, who was still confused, was also telling Minato to stop. And Naruto wanted to tell her to stop. Because all Minato could see was red._

 _The man stopped to stare harshly at Naruto. "If you struggle, I will. Fucking. Break it!" And the boy shut up and let himself be dragged out of the house. His father threw him to the ground only to say "get up!"_

" _Minato!" Betsy cried. "What chu on? Leave that child 'lone, boy."_

 _Naruto stood on his two feet, staring at his father. Minato raised his fist. "Fight me, Naruto."_

 _Naruto flinched away, moving back as his father came closer. "I don't like this, papa."_

" _Fight me, boy! And when we're done, you better fight every motherfucker that attacks you."_

 _He started moving even closer and Naruto was stuck in his place. "I don't want to." He cried._

" _Minato leave him- Naruto!"_

 _He thought it was bluff. He thought maybe if he posted up like his father did then the man would stop. He thought that was all Minato wanted. But it was only the flash of white, the throbbing pain, and Betsy-basan's scream that said "Jigoku e e, he really did punch the shit out of you."_

 _The boy flew backward on to the ground with a loud cry for help. He inched even further from his father, clutching his eye and watching the man's every move. He saw Betsy run over and begin hitting the man, upside the head, on the back, chest. She hit him until Minato moved away from Naruto._

 _And then he was engulfed by her warmth. She hugged him tightly as she stared at Minato. "I ain't raise you to hit no baby like this! What's gotten in your head, boy!?"_

 _Minato still ignored her. He was breathing heavy, staring at Naruto._

" _If I do nothing else great in this life, I will dedicate myself to making a man out of you, boy."_

* * *

Naruto looked away. "My father really did dedicate his life to making me a man. The harshness only faded after Betsy went missing. But, Sasuke, what kind of man do you think I'll be to my own children?"

Sasuke bit his lip, remembering something from the small tale. "Those words he said about your arm. You said that to Karin."

Naruto smiled sadly. "He taught me well, didn't he? And he made me like him. And I don't want to hurt a child, Sasuke. Maybe I'm not meant to be a father."

Sasuke stared at him before bringing the man's hands to his mouth. "Naruto, from what I know, you will stop at nothing to get your way. And I know that if you don't want to be like your father, you'll try with your might to be sure of that. And you'll succeed. I've seen it before. You're strong like that."

And then Naruto did something unexpected. He laid upon the couch and put his head in Sasuke's lap. And he cried. Sasuke didn't know what for. But he let him.

* * *

 **Japanese words used here:**

Anata wa machigatte iru means "you are wrong"

Kawaisōnako translates to "poor child."

Jigoku e e translates to "hell yeah."

 **Girlfriend is the title of this chapter. People call Cocaine this word for it's effect that it has on users. I haven't done much research in this, but I'll assume that having a partner would make you feel on cloud nine, high and mighty, out of this world, just like cocaine would. The way I used the chapter title here is a play on the content of the chapter. THIS IS NOT MEANT TO BE A JOKE. I know that in my other stories, I just wrote Mpreg off as a side piece, but this is one my favorite writings. I had to do more with this so I made Sasuke an intersex. PS. Hermaphrodite is kind of a derogatory term for humans, not plants and animals. People prefer the term intersex. I only used it for explanation. But, basically, here Sasuke is girlfriend. He has the female reproductive organs and as a result, has gotten pregnant.**

 **I know this chapter is a little short, but it's only an opening to Sasuke Uchiha's bumpy pregnancy. I'm only fastening your seat belts and preparing you guys for the ride.**

 **If you liked this chapter, please go ahead and review. Once again guys, the support means so much to me, and I enjoy writing for people that enjoy reading. :)**

 **If you're joining the Ōmo club or the Uzumakiflame club (psst. I made those up), I just want to say welcome to the ride. It's going to be one hell of a ride. XD**

 **Trivia for you: The rebellion mentioned did actually happen during Japan's history. And the leading Samurai, Saigō, was a real man.**

 **Uzumaki's did you know fact: did you guys know this fic title was going to be "Surviving Ōmo?" This story plot and idea has been here for several months and the title was the hardest thing to come up with.**

 **Well that's all friends. Have good day or night. Wherever you are in the world. :)**


	9. Happy Trails

**Happy Trails**

 **Okay, so I got reviews for the last chapter as soon as I posted XD. At first, I was like, Woah, they must have been really anxious for this chapter. But it means much guys.**

 **Special thanks to the reviewers of chapter eight; Yami Heart, HeartSNS, FranBunny, Yaoifangirl102, and kitsune knight of darkness.**

 **It means a lot that most of you guys are expressing your love for the story. I'm working hard every day to make this awesome for you guys. So thanks so much for the support. And I hope it continues to be interesting for you all.**

* * *

Early in the first trimester of Sasuke Uchiha's pregnancy, Naruto Namikaze found out that he was depressed, presumably because when he called, the raven was always laying in bed and studying, or watching television, or reading; and spending most of his devoted time with thinking about how the people saw him.

The dis-confidence did not start with the unexpected pregnancy, but with the push of a finger that fell into a river. It did not start in Naruto's bed, but in a small emergency room filled with confusion, uncertainty, and a lack of identity.

The man sighed. It was only Sasuke's first month in and Neji had called because Sasuke wasn't getting out of bed nor going to classes. The campaign had been going well. Naruto was so deeply tied into politics that the suspicion of him dealing drugs was a mere rumor. How could they try against him when there was no evidence of his crimes or illegal drug dealing? Who would try against him?

So yes, the campaign was going well and the next election was looking upward, but then there was Sasuke; who had come into Naruto Namikaze's life and shattered every uncaring bone in his body; who had seen the wall, smirked at it with arrogance, and climbed over it, falling over as Naruto rushed to help him up.

Sasuke was a little more important than all of this. Naruto could be a member of the House of Councillors any year. Naruto was a mastermind. He could get away with crimes any day. Sasuke was someone that he had to hold on to every. fucking. Day. Sasuke was stubborn but worse, he was a stubborn independent. He could walk away from Naruto if he did stupid things….like asking the raven to get rid of the child. His child.

Naruto sighed and placed the last of his shirts in the suitcase. Zipping the bag, the man grabbed it, placed it over his shoulder, and walked down the steps. Sha was on the couch, Bolade very close to her as Shikamaru sat on the couch across from them.

Naruto tried to smile at everyone, but with Sasuke's self-deprecation on his mind, it was hard. So he got down to business immediately. "I trust you all know why you're here." Shikamaru was the one who nodded and smiled big.

"Big news that there's going to be a little Ōmo running around here, making our lives even fucking crazier."

Sha smirked at the couch, tipping her small hat as she crossed her legs. The Namikaze couldn't understand why she would wear those dark glasses in the house, but she still looked very beautiful, beneath both the hat and the glasses. Besides, there was a pain in his stomach that would hurt him to ever ask her. He knew nothing about what went on between Sha and Bolade, but there was a twist in his stomach when he thought about it.

"You know what they say? gweat Pawenting lies somewha' between 'don't do that' and 'ah, what the hell.'" Her face molded into confusion for a second and Naruto laughed because really, he could swear she saw the pain in his eyes. And she took it right away. "At least, that is what my motha said."

Naruto shook his head. "It means a lot that you all want to hold the city down while I'm in Nagasaki. It's just with Sasuke and all, I don't want him to feel alone. And plus, I should be with him through this. A male pregnancy is a tough journey and I'll be damned if I don't have the power to curse anyone that says anything to him. So thank you."

It was obviously something that had never heard because none of the three knew what to say back to Omo. None of them knew if the sincerity was a bluff. He had been down for so long since hearing about his grandmother, and that depression was anger.

It was Bolade who spoke for them. "No worries, boss. We know how important this is to you. I'll handle our territory relations and foreign business partners. Sha will keep the city under control since she's great with that. And Shikamaru promised to increase the charts for the election."

Naruto nodded, his revelations coming to a close. Now that he knew everything was set in place, he could finally breathe and look forward to his private jet arriving. But he felt like he was forgetting something. Something for Sasuke; something he should have taken with him. And it sat in his brain abruptly, knocking his skull around.

He looked to Sha. "Did you get what I needed for the trip?"

The Mohammed smiled. Putting her fingers between her lips, the woman whistled, high and loud. Her smile was lingering and Naruto pretended that he did not see the way Shikamaru stared at her for a few lingering moments, his lips fighting and struggling against an even tougher smile.

At her whistle or command, two puppy German Doberman Pinschers strutted into the room. Both were muscular and looked to hold a noble appearance, but one was a lot more masculine than the other. They had long muzzles and stood on their toes. Their ears cropped and posted, the Dobermans were black and rust in color. They were beautiful.

Naruto put down his suitcase as they immediately came to him, sniffing his clothing and nuzzling near. Sha had done well in finding some for both Sasuke's protection and Naruto's intimidation tactics.

"Konnichiwa." He muttered, rubbing the male's face. "And what should I call you?" The dog nuzzled even more. "Hm. How about Koshaku for the duke, hm? You like that name? Duke?" Koshaku dipped his head and Naruto wanted to embrace his female friend because the dogs were so obedient, but they were obviously loyal.

Sha smirked. "I think he likes the name. What about ha?"

The female is more reserved than Koshaku; still comfortable with Naruto, but just a bit skeptical. He saw now, she was the leader. "And what of you, girl? You already show signs of alertness and fearlessness? Should I call you Sha?"

And Sha snorted when Shikamaru muttered something about liking the idea. "Do not name a dog afta me, white boy."

Naruto smiled. "Alright. How about I call you Joō? For queen? Joō and Koshaku? For queen and duke?" He smirked when Joō came closer to him. "The name fits. Sasuke will love them."

Sha nodded. "Good. I hope he does. I told him I was getting something for im."

"Well, I should get going. I want to be in Nagasaki by the end of the day. Are you coming, B? Or are you leaving tomorrow?"

Bolade waved it off. "No. I'll come ahead now. He'll drop me into Korea after you and I want to be ahead of this game."

The blond nodded and bent to grab his suitcase. He looked to Sha and Shikamaru who both nodded at him as if to say 'no worries.'

"I'm going to head out now and have Karin do a speech about the way you guys grew up. You know to add an emotional appeal to the people."

Sha crossed her arms. "And I will stay here for a while until the guards show to watch the house."

"Please don't get Mush," Naruto muttered. "I mean, I love the guy, but with that amount of bad luck, no telling what would happen when he's watching the house."

Sha smiled. "Wock Lee will not step foot in he'e. One false move and he's gonna get us all fucking pinched."

And Naruto laughed beginning to walk to the door, feeling satisfied when the dogs followed after. Bolade was with him, Shikamaru behind them.

They muttered their goodbyes and goodlucks and soon, Sha was alone. The woman sighed heavily. Now without the world's lingering eyes, she could remove her hat and glasses. The hat only covered her tight Bantu knots that she put in last night.

The glasses covered something far more sinister; something that knew the devil well. She tore the shades off. Letting the sins loose.

"I knew something was wrong."

The woman flinched and turned back to the front door where Shikamaru had come back in, maybe after Bolade and Naruto left. She scowled as he moved in closer. It wasn't him really. It was the light that glew around him, brightening anyone that it touched. That's what she wanted to hate the most.

"What a'e you doing back?" The woman turned away from him when he got close because she didn't want him to see inside the lonely cut that masked beneath her eye. It was a bad move. Anything around the cunning Shikamaru Nara was a bad move because sometimes, he found a way around the smallest things.

Placing his hands on her hips, the man pulled her closer so that no space was between them. And she covered her mouth when she had already felt his bulge through both layers of their clothing. He kissed her ear. "I never left. And I'm not going anywhere." He whispered with a soft smile she could feel in her face. "I haven't talked to you in a number of weeks. I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm always okay."

Shikamaru let go and moved back, only to move before her. He stared at the slash sleeping under the eye and he sighed. "Liar." He whispered. Reaching his hand up cautiously, he still grimaced when Sha flinched. Moving forward, he smiled at her. "I'm going to kiss you now."

"Okay," Sha whispered back. She didn't know if this world would be any help when he finally leaned down, wrapping an arm around her waist. But the kiss helped a lot. It was filled with a sad longing and Shikamaru felt bad when she tried moving even closer.

Who was there for Sha when he hadn't seen her in those weeks? That's right; Bolade. But how could he help her?

So he held her hands tight to tell her he wouldn't leave again. Not for this long. The heat of the kiss was worse than a scorching summer day and it had led to Sha removing his shirt and he removing hers. He stopped to admire the black lace bra that went so perfectly with her skin. And he smiled goofily when she had covered her eyes in embarrassment with a laugh.

They had led themselves to the couch after a few minutes of standing there shirtless. But this time, both had taken off their pants and skirt, respectively.

Sha was sitting atop him, both legs straddling his sides. And by the way, she looked leaning down to kiss him, Shikamaru knew the coming ride would go down as one of their sweetest.

He smiled when she leaned up to breathe softly. He moved his hands down her back, past her wide hips, and he rested them on both sides of her butt. Sha hated her butt and thighs because of the stretch marks. When Shikamaru first saw them when they were seventeen, he loved them. He knew Sha, and any other woman with stretch marks had been made by God when he saw the lightning in her hips.

She finally caught her breath and looked down at him. He was already staring. "You're beautiful." He whispered.

And the remark made her lips go down into a soft frown. She muttered something about having to go to the bathroom and climbed off him.

One of the seven bathrooms on the first floor was close. When Sha got there, she pulled down her panties and sat, crying silently as she peed. She didn't understand what was inside her to make her cry, but she felt it had been long awaited. Not wanting Shikamaru to come after her, the woman wiped herself and stood, going to the sink to wash her hands.

The cut on her face burned when tears went through it. Bolade said he didn't mean for his nail to scratch her when he struck. But still, it stung when tears took that path when they visited her chin. And so she wouldn't work them.

Sha was strong, she never cried before anyone, not even her husband. She left the bathroom, but before she walked into the living room, she stopped to stare at the man she loved. His hair was out of its usual ponytail, but because he was laying on his back, it doesn't fall below his shoulders. It rested beneath his head with a few locks falling over the edge of the couch. He lay there in only his boxer briefs, his eyes closed in peace, his arm behind the head.

Sha could have left Bolade when she was seventeen and ran straight to Shikamaru. But it would have looked off. In the cartel, there was an unspoken rule to not mess with the wives of your friends. If Shikamaru Nara got caught then he'd be killed by anyone. And just the thought of him being killed made the tears well up again and burn the cut.

He heard her whimper and he looked up. Seeing the tears in her eyes, the man leaned up on his elbows. "What's wrong?" He questioned with so much concern, Sha felt like crying even more.

But simply, she shook her head. "Nothing. You'we beautiful too."

And he smiled.

* * *

 _Nagasaki University_

 _Bunkyo campus_

 _Nagasaki prefecture_

 _February 12, 2004_

 _7:15 AM_

Naruto yawned as he strolled up to Sasuke's door. Koshaku and Joō were both asleep and so the man had them be carried by his bodyguards. Although, knocking softly on the door had still woken Joō up. The dog made a whimpering sound, but really it was a low growl.

"Īe, queen," Naruto told her. "You will not growl at Sasuke. You are here to help him." The dog made a sound again, but it was not a growl nor a whimper. She jumped from the bodyguard's arms and landed by Naruto, looking up as if to say "I'm ready."

He nodded at her. "Totemo yoi."

Neji is the one to open the door. He looks tired and annoyed and Naruto wants to feel offended because he knows it's all Sasuke's doing. But then, should he? Sasuke Uchiha alone was a hassle. Sasuke Uchiha pregnant was something created by the devil. He was cunning, intelligent, aggressive, and all the more beautiful.

Naruto nodded as the Hyūga pushed himself aside to let Naruto in. "Neji." He nodded.

Neji rubbed his head and grabbed his backpack from the floor. "Sasuke's upstairs in his room. He's complaining about socks."

Naruto checked the time. _7:22_. "But his class is in 15 minutes."

Neji huffed, recalling this morning with Sasuke. "Oh. Don't I know? He's been complaining for the past hour about it."

Neji avoided the eyes of the bodyguards as he passed the Dobermans, leaving for his own class.

Naruto sighed. He grabbed hold of the little Koshaku and cradled him. "Take the day off. And someone please get Kisame on the line for me. Kabuto needs to be dealt with."

He closed the door and sat Koshaku down, but the dog curled next to his leg. "We'll have to train you the hardest, boy. Anata wa yawarakaidesu. You want to meet Sasuke? You will love him. All he does is cuddle."

The dog barked loudly as Naruto took him upstairs, Joō fast on his tail. He knew where Sasuke resided in the home. He had been there plenty of times over the past year and a half. Sasuke's room was his favorite place to be and Sasuke's favorite place to have him.

Naruto blushed heavily as he opened Sasuke's door. The Uchiha was on the floor in a pile of expensive clothing, searching like a madman for socks.

His hair was messy, tears were streaming down his face, and he was sobbing loudly. "I just had the socks yesterday." His voice broke a little and Naruto put Koshaku down.

 _Yup. Pregnancy hormones_.

"Sasuke." He called. The raven looked up at him in surprise. His mouth quivered. His eyes blinked. "Naruto." He cracked. "I can't find my socks. And I'm going to be late for classes."

Naruto put his suitcase on the bed. "Here, babe. You can wear some of mine. Don't worry."

Sasuke blinked and cried even harder. "But they aren't my socks." He sobbed for some time, snot running down his face. "I want my socks because I want mine and I want to know-oh."

At Sasuke's sudden ceasement of crying, the blond froze. He looked up and wanted to laugh. Sasuke's face, smeared with salty tears, was stuck in a trance. His mouth in an O shape and his eyes bulged out, he continued to stare at Koshaku as the dog stared at him.

"Hi." He whispered to the dog. Sasuke looked at Naruto. "It's so cute. What do I do?"

"For starters, he responds to Koshaku," Sasuke repeated this and the small dog jumped on him, making him laugh, his tears long forgotten. Naruto smirked as Joo came in, the commotion getting to her. "And she responds to Joo."

The gasp that Sasuke let out was everything. The way he smiled big when Joo stopped hesitantly before the playing human and puppy. "Oh, kami. There's another one." He put his hand out and Joō came to sniff it. Then she licked it and finally, she rested her small body in Sasuke's lap. "Duke and Queen. I love it. They're so cute. They're so cute."

Naruto could watch Sasuke love those dogs all day if he wanted. It was blatant that the pregnancy was taking a toll on Sasuke.

Every day, he called to check in on Sasuke. And every day brought in something new; Sasuke was so tired, he had gone home from work immediately, and fell asleep with the car running all night; Sasuke had headaches so bad, Neji would right the essays while Sasuke gave him the words to type; Sasuke was so nauseous, he had thrown up water just from drinking it; Sasuke was constipated; Sasuke was losing and gaining weight rapidly; Sasuke's chest was swollen to the point of inflammation; the list really went on.

And sometimes Naruto didn't understand; maybe he would never understand what Sasuke went through while pregnant. But the doctors had said they were only a month in. The baby was nothing but the beginning of a nervous system and a heart. It had nothing yet but the buds of arms and legs. It was an Embryo. Hell, the doctors had said it was 1/25 of an inch long. But something so small could cause this much...was it pain? Destruction? Was it the child's fault even?

And then there were emotional issues that really had nothing to do with their child. They had everything to do with how Sasuke viewed himself. Sasuke was an intersex and for him, that made male pregnancy real. As real the pain of that river rock crashing against his ribcage, which he had for a while wished was a nightmare. But just because the male pregnancy was real didn't mean the world would accept him. Sasuke couldn't even accept himself. He called himself a freak of nature, some kind of mutant, all kinds of disgusting things that made Naruto want to scream at him. He couldn't make Sasuke love himself. All he could do was love him just enough and hope that love shone through.

And now, even as Sasuke laughed when Koshaku licked his chin, his hair a mess, his eyes sunken in, and tears everywhere, Sasuke looked beautiful. So yes, Naruto could watch Sasuke love those dogs all day. But he wouldn't allow it.

So he moved over, forgetting about the suitcase, the smile, and the moment, and he grabbed the dogs. Sasuke pouted up at him.

"You can see them when you get home. First, you need to get dressed for classes."

Sasuke had a life; he was a top student at Nagasaki University with a double major and a challenging minor. He worked shifts at a local cafe and he was an aspiring Civil Rights lawyer. Sasuke had enough credits to only take three courses during his final semester. He was a genius and he was strong-willed, with enough heart to make people like Gandhi and Nelson Mandela proud. Naruto would be damned if he let it go to waste.

The Uchiha nodded, putting his head down in shame. "You're right. It's just. What if people see that-"

"So what? What do they matter?"

"What do you mean 'so what?'" The Uchiha grumbled, but he was still putting on the socks Naruto had given him. "I'm pregnant, but I'm a man. Can you imagine all the hate, Naruto?"

His boyfriend sighed, helping Sasuke off the floor. He hugged the raven close and stared into his obsidian eyes. "Sasuke-kun, the entire world is not full of hate. Some people will understand. And the few that do bring hate can be easily dealt with."

"Still-"

"Still nothing, Sasuke." Naruto interrupted. "I see that learning to love yourself will be the hardest thing you'll ever do. But, Sasuke, please know that I love you and I don't care who you are. Neji doesn't. Oji doesn't. The people who care about you a lot don't care what your condition is. I... I'm not good with these kinds of things...saying words of encouragement. I just want you to love yourself as I do. Because you're so beautiful, in and out."

Sasuke was crying again, but he didn't look in pain when he smiled at Naruto and whispered. "Okay. I'll try. But please understand that this is a process and I can't make people like me."

"You don't have to, but making a few people disappear here and there won't hurt."

Sasuke laughed loudly, slapping Naruto's chest to tell him it was a very bad thing to say, but unexpectedly funny no less. "You're sick."

Naruto kissed him with tenderness. "And you're here."

Again, those dark eyes shined with tears. But he hugged Naruto close and laid his head upon his shoulders. "Thank you for coming." He whispered.

"Tsuneni."

* * *

They're staring. He can feel it. The girl next to him. Why else would she keep looking over if she hadn't noticed?

Sasuke's heart has gone against him. Instead of this calm cool collected organ, the red heart has become a mess. It is pounding against his ribs. It's tense and causing him to breathe heavily.

Each time someone looks his way, his heart screams telling Sasuke they've been caught. And the organ tries hiding into itself, feeling tight and constricted for the pain it isn't meant to take.

Sasuke wants to get up and run before someone says a thing, but his hands and feet are numb while tingling. Will they make it out?

He wants to stand, but even sitting in this seat, the man feels he cannot balance himself. He's having a panic attack and he can't...he can't...why is he here? Who are these people? Why can't he reme-

A soft hand touched his shoulder. "Sasuke-kun, are you alright? Anata wa totemo suteki ni miemasen."

The Uchiha resists the sudden urge to jump away because there's something about the question that tells him his secret is safe.

The raven looks around for five minutes. When no one so much as glances at him, besides the usual fangirl, the man sighs. His heart has fooled him and it makes the Uchiha want to cry and weep. But Naruto's words are like a stone in his mind.

 _Don't you cry when you're down_.

His silly heart, who should be stared at with disappointment until there is no more left. It's fooled him good and well.

The raven sighs and he realizes he should be more calm, not just for his health, but for the baby's as well. He takes note that he should care for it a little more. Love it, even if he doesn't quite yet love himself. He should nurture the child and make sure it comes out right.

"Yes. I'm fine. Sorry."

The girl finally moves her hand away, focusing back on the front of the room where their professor was explaining the importance of sensory.

"And that reminds me. Does anyone remember what Thomas Aquinas compared the five senses to?" The room grows quiet and no one really wants to answer. Professor Nguyen sighs and shakes her head. "No one remembers the lesson from last month?"

Sasuke bit his lip, raising his hand only the slightest when he saw no one else would. The woman pointed at him in relief. "Uchiha-san?"

"Um...correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think Aquinas ever separated the natural, observable world from the unseen world. In fact, Aquinas viewed the five senses: tasting, touching, seeing, hearing, smelling as an essential way of acquiring real knowledge, even knowledge of the invisible God, I believe. Aquinas believed that our senses were necessary for acquiring knowledge, not for the mind, but for the soul."

The woman stared surprised before smiling softly. "That is actually a perfect answer, Sasuke. Nice job."

Sasuke blinked and in that fraction of a second, he could see a whole new world. He didn't know why he had the panic attack in the first place, but he knew this baby was going to be smart as hell.

* * *

 _Korean Peninsula_

 _Seoul, South Korea_

 _February 20, 2004_

In South Korea, there was nothing intimidating about Bolade Mohammed. He was a large man and he was very known in the Namikaze cartel. He was known in South Korea as someone who was importing the cocaine into the peninsula, and still, he was not an intimidating man. Because there was a discreet relationship between the South Korean Government and the Namikaze cartel. Their president was sly and unliked by most of the people. So a man like Bolade wasn't intimidating. He wasn't untrustworthy nor was he unpredictable; Roh Moo-hyun had enough of that for the people.

Roh was serving the 16th term for South Korea's presidency. He had received support through the older generation and younger internet users. This did not make him popular. In fact, Roh had faced criticism for his Anti-Americanism, nationalism, pro-North Korea views, and most notably, the rumor that he was deeply involved with cartel business from Japan. Which was also why Bolade was here, calling a meeting between them.

The room was dark, but he could see Roh Moo-hyun reaching his hand out for a shake. "Good evening, Mr. Mohammed."

B reached his hand out, but his first words to the president were "I've been waiting for this meeting for an entire week. Ōmo expects results or he expects rivalry."

The Korean man sat first. "Apologies. But you know how busy it is for a president. Besides, I have to be careful. Right now I am under close speculation by the government."

"For?"

"The usual. The drug war is becoming a bigger issue and after the rumors of my business with Ōmo, they wonder how the cocaine is so easily imported here. And I'm the one that runs the borders."

The black man hummed, not fazed by the fear he could clearly see in Roh's eyes. They sat quietly for a while until the president lifted a finger. "Would you like a drink?"

"Whiskey. Make it small, please. I have other business and should be back home with my wife."

The man nodded and waited for one of his men to leave the room. "We aren't close enough to have casual meetings and see how each other are fairing. So I ask, why has Ōmo called this meeting, Killer B?"

The sound of his hitman alias made Bolade stare at the man sharply. There was something wrong here and he felt that he should be out of that room as soon as possible. So the man leaned up and went straight to business. "Ōmo wants to expand to North Korea. And he knows that because of your….views….you'll be interested."

Roh leaned up too. "What does he want with North Korea?"

"I suppose what all men in power want; more power."

"But you know that we have been having a tense relationship with North Korea because of their missile tests in '93 and '98. It just won't work."

"I know how you work, Roh. It has to work. Because for some reason, Namikaze sales have gone down in South Korea. People don't lose addictions that fast, and even if they did, cocaine is the drug of the century. Sales would never go down. Do you know what's happening?"

Roh said nothing, but there was an underlying fear that he had done something wrong. Very wrong to Ōmo and to his business.

"Come on, Roh. I can tell you right now that I am the smartest man in this room. Do you want me to tell you or should you tell me?"

"The Yamanaka Clan…" The president began. "They made a deal with me to let them sell on the streets."

"But the entire South Korea is our territory. You know that; the Yamanaka know that."

"I know, but I was told-"

B shook his head and he watched the man return with their small glasses of whiskey. "I see that our relationship has taken a turn. So I'm going to give you a choice. Cut all ties with the Yamanaka clan as soon as possible. I'm sure you don't want problems with Ōmo, now do you?" Roh shook his head. "And because of your traitorous behavior, you have one month to get a hold of the man in charge of North Korea."

"Now wait just a m-" Roh cut himself off as his own men pulled out their guns, pointing them in his face. Confusion was a beautiful thing. Because just a minute ago, he had driven with these men to the meeting. These were men with the South Korea government, so why were the guns pointed at their president?

B laughed, taking a sip of his drink. "You'll get our lost profit back. So what will it be, Roh? Money or death? Silver or lead?"

The man stared before shaking his head rapidly. B stood. "Very good. You have a month." He moved himself to the door before a memory knocked against his head. "Ah." Turning back, he pointed to the whiskey beside Roh. "By the way. Do not drink that. It's poison."

Roh's eyes went to the glass and back to B, but the Mohammed was already gone. B would have to call Sha and inform her immediately, at least when she was done collecting from dealers in Kabukichō. They were going to have serious problems with the Yamanaka clan.

* * *

 _Nagasaki, Japan_

 _February 23, 2004_

Sasuke's brows furrowed as he listened to the distant steady hum of music down below. The house had been quiet ever since he got home from work and fell asleep. But now, there was a faint marching tune with a touch of rhythm that made him arise so comfortably. Too comfortably.

The man rubbed his eyes as he leaned up in bed, throwing his legs over to the side, his feet kissing the cool wood before he knew. The Uchiha stared perplexed at his swollen feet. How did pregnancy do this? Make his feet all puffy and red? The man stood, still staring at the feet that didn't quite look like his. He wanted to ask the child in his stomach even more, but the steady beat of downstairs pulled him away.

The raven walked to the door, stopping by it to peak out as if it weren't his home and he was just snooping around. "Hello." He whispered. Where was Naruto? Oji? What of Neji?

Moving out of the room, he stepped into the large hallway, staring around before moving to the wooden spiral stairs. The band played on, but now with the soft voice of a woman speaking dearly of a boy.

" _Shawn was a very shy child growing up_

 _He was into sports_

 _And a funny story is_

 _At four he taught himself how to ride a bike_

 _A two wheeler at that_

 _Isn't that special?"_

Shawn? He was sure he heard before and he was positive he knew it well. But what else could he know? At the bottom of the steps, the large kitchen was to the right. The door to the left led to the living room. He could hear faint voices beneath the music that didn't sound like the soft woman. So he peaked in, finding Naruto and Reo sitting on a futon drinking tea before the fireplace.

" _Now all the teachers couldn't reach me_

 _And my momma couldn't beat me_

 _Hard enough to match the pain of my pop not seeing me, so_

 _With that disdain in my membrane_

 _Got on my pimp game_

 _Fuck the world my defense came_

 _Then Dahaven introduced me to the game_

 _Spanish Jose introduced me to caine_

 _I'm a hustler now"_

So this was rap. And it was Shawn Carter or more commonly known as Jay-Z; Naruto's favorite American man.

Naruto smiled at Reo. "And he also began rapping at a young age. But hustling will always be a part of his life."

Sasuke shook his head with a smile. Naruto was so interested in this man; so invested in his lifestyle. Maybe because they had both grew up in poverty; or that they both at some point learned the art of selling drugs; or even got violent at some point in their lives. But really, it was the simple fact that no one in Naruto's life had told him to get out there and hustle for things wanted better than Jay-Z. Not his family, not Bolade, who had once mentored him, not even Sasuke, who brought out emotions even the blond never knew he had.

"Sounds like someone I know." Reo smiled knowingly. And it made Naruto blush and put his head down because never could he be compared to such greatness.

"Nah. He's a lot better, you know? Sometimes there are Lords, but then there are Gods."

Reo hummed and took a sip of his tea. When the song faded out, the remedy almost bringing Sasuke to tears with how fond the woman spoke of her son, the Uchiha took it as his cue to stride in.

Naruto was the first to notice and he smiled at the man. "Good evening, Sasuke."

Reo turned too. "Sasuke, come have tea. We are speaking of the Shawn Carter."

The raven giggled and sat down, tucking his swollen feet beneath his thighs. Well, he had tried. Naruto had noticed. "Sasuke, do your feet hurt? They look swollen."

He nodded. "They are."

"But the doctor said that doesn't happen until the second trimester."

"Naruto, calm down. Some symptoms can arrive early or late."

The blond wanted to say more, but Sasuke pushed his feet further beneath his thigh, a signal for his partner to drop it. So he just sighed.

"Today…" Sasuke began. "Before work, Naruto and I stared training the puppies for water and the funniest thing happened." He bit his lip so that he could tell the story without laughing and Naruto sighed in embarrassment.

Oji hummed to let the student know he was indeed listening.

"We put them in the pool and they started to paddle so they could stay afloat. When he took them out, they just kept paddling on dry land. It was so cute."

Reo chuckled softly.

"But that's not even the funniest part. Duke started running around the pool because he didn't want to be taken back in and so Naruto started to chase him." The raven stifled a giggle. "So we watched them for three minutes, Queen and I. And then all of a sudden, Naruto slipped." He burst out laughing after that, tears running down his face already. "I mean can you imagine someone as tall as he…."

Naruto was there. Naruto knew the story, so he drowned Sasuke out and took the time to admire the other man's form and attitude.

Sasuke Uchiha was an obvious embodiment of both beauty and happiness. He told Reo the story with such emphasis that even Reo was having a good laugh at imagining Naruto falling. That was the way he was; he could make anyone smile. Hell, he had insulted Naruto on their first meeting and now look where they were.

There was just something about him that made the Namikaze want to stay with forever; watch him slime and laugh forever.

The constricting pain in his chest gave no warning and Naruto ceased to grab his chest. Naruto was sick obviously. How else could the queasy feeling in his stomach be explained? He felt like he was standing at the edge of the universe; like the people had volunteered to sacrifice him, and now his eyes were watching God. It was hot...so hot.

"Naruto?" the soft voice of honey made him breath even again and he looked up. Had he known it would be a bad decision, he wouldn't have. Because looking at Sasuke made the man nervous. He wanted to look away immediately because he felt Sasuke would see his discomfort.

"Are you okay, babe?"

No. There's something so wrong, Sasuke. I cannot begin to describe the pain and heights my body's going through.

He inhaled. "Yes. I'm fine. I'm okay."

* * *

 _Kabukichō, Tokyo_

 _Tokyo, Japan_

 _February 23, 2004_

He remembers coming to this small house as a child, asking Nagato, who always answer the door, "do you know where Naruto is?"

And he recalls the same face Nagato would make. It would be a soft scowl like he wasn't sure if Shikamaru Nara was a genuine friend or not, but Naruto, who was quiet, talks about him a lot, so it must be true. And then he moves to the side with an impassive face and watches Shikamaru's small body run in with a raised brow.

Shikamaru would first look in the small kitchen with glee, yelling "Naruto!" And Karin would come out and visibly scowl at him because she doesn't believe this boy is this committed to being Naruto's friend.

Naruto, who was quiet, is a weird child; he doesn't talk much around the house and when he does come to school, he sits quietly in the back staring at his desk because he's too scared to ask for help.

Karin thinks Naruto wouldn't have friends, but Shikamaru Nara, who's seven, likes to say "four years; three months; two weeks; five days; that's how long we've been friends."

Karin is his first crush as a child, so while the red haired brat scowls at him deeply, the boy smiles brightly and waves obnoxiously, just to rile her up. "Hi, Karin!"

And then he is off again to find his friend because that's who he came for, and admittedly, all he cares for. He takes a single step into the living room because the house is that small.

A man is sewing the kid's clothes on the couch. He doesn't look like he should he sewing because the tattoos scare Shikamaru each time he comes over, but Naruto, who is quiet, tells him that Madoka is the younger brother, so he gets the tough jobs around the house.

"Konnichiwa, Madoka-san."

The man nods at him, but he looks unhappy because now he has to take the tobacco from between his lips and ash it out.

He recalls him putting out the cigar so well, that his child's eyes widen and he says aloud "so that's why they call you smoke."

Madoka will look at him and ask "what?" But Shikamaru Nara is already gone, opening the rooms of their single floor home, calling his friend.

It's a game that Naruto, who is quiet, doesn't participate in. Only Nagato and Shikamaru play. No matter where he is, Naruto will not cry back atop his lungs. He just won't. So Shikamaru goes through the fun of looking and Nagato goes through the amusement of watching.

Until finally, he'll say "he's in the backyard."

Shikamaru stared up at the decaying house, Nagato, and Misaji beside him. Man, how the years went by and how he and Naruto had changed. Still friends, but the world had joined the pact.

"If this house could talk…" he muttered. "What would it say?"

Nagato nodded. "True. Crazy how all these memories could fit into a small thing like this, right?"

The Nara nodded. Sighing, he was the first to move forward since he had the keys. "All the old stuff's still in the basement, Misaji-san?"

The OG nodded absentmindedly, still the only one admiring the house he was raised and had raised in.

Shikamaru looked to Nagato as if to say 'he's your father; get him.' Though, Nagato shook his head.

"He'll snap out of it. Let's just get these things for this campaign. Looking for photos right? For the media?"

"Yeah. I figured we'd need some emotional appeal to keep us ahead in the campaign. I've already sent some photographers to come to take pictures of the house. We just need some photos of Naruto."

Shikamaru led Nagato below, where a lot of boxes lay by spider webs. They stared on for a while before Shikamaru finally grabbed the closest box. "Well, let's start."

* * *

It had taken them most of the day to make it to the last box, but they had found some good pictures of Naruto when he was younger. Some photos were of him playing, others when he was standing by someone.

He looked poor in most of them since he was as a child, but he was happy. And that made Naruto appeal more to the people all around Japan. He was a hard worker.

The raven laughed as he opened the last book of the last box. "I remember this." It was Naruto, standing by the door when they were in year eleven. His shoes were shiny and Madoka had greased his hair back. Naruto hated the look, but with his hands in his pockets, he still managed to smile.

The sound of walking in the house made both men listen. Nagato smirked. "Guess he finally snapped out of it."

The Nara hummed, going back to looking through the albums as Misaji came down the steps. "Karin? I thought you were tousan."

"Sha too? What are you doing here?"

Shikamaru's head snapped back to the steps at the mention of her name. It really was her; the widow maker. He smiled softly and went back to looking through the album so she would not catch him staring.

"We ave a pwoblem. Bolade has jozt told me that the Yamanaka clan is violating oa' ta'wit'y agweement."

"Where?"

"South Korea," Karin answered. I talked to Naruto and he wants to retaliate even harder."

Shikamaru sighed and closed the photo album. What he had was enough. The memories could not be relived because the physicality was needed. Shikamaru knew that Naruto would have ideas as soon as he heard from him.

"Bolade said the meeting did not go well eitha. South K'an pwesident is the one that sealed the deal with the Yamanaka. And e isn't appy about the expansion to Nowth Ko'ea. And now, he is facing suspension."

Shikamaru moved closer, as the four had formed a circle so that they could talk quietly.

Nagato scowled. "Thaaat bastard. Do you think he did it on purpose?"

The Nara put his head down sadly. He just didn't understand how he could be so sad about Nagato getting shot in the head, making his words slurred at the most unexpected times. With the shrapnel still in his head, Nagato Namikaze was nothing but a living corpse, walking around, jiving, having a good time before God finally said 'let's go.'

When he looked up, the red-haired man was already smiling down at him and Shikamaru took notice of the dent and dark blotches he had tried for years to ignore. "Naze nagai kao?"

The raven just shook his head although they all knew. "Um...it could be. He could have done it on purpose, but we also have to take note that he's been under speculation for a while now and he isn't exactly the most liked president."

"Still…" Sha glared at the ground. "That man went against Nawuto's owdas. E and the Yamanaka need to be dealt with. They aren't as strong as us."

Before anyone could say further, Karin pulled out her phone as it began to vibrate. "It's Naruto." She muttered. "Well, he took no time at all."

Shikamaru nodded. "Put him on speaker. He'll likely want us all to hear."

Karin nodded and answered. "Naruto. I have Sha, Shikamaru, and Nagato with me. We've all heard."

Naruto sighed heavily on the other end. He sounded as if he were in distress and maybe he was. Shikamaru knew that Naruto hated being disrespected and what the Yamanaka had done did not only messed with the product, but it messed with the family.

" _Where is Bolade_?"

"He hasn't gotten back yet. Do you want me to put him on the line."

Another sigh. " _It's fine. I'll call later. This is too vital. I think I've been poisoned_."

The silence is unbearable and odd. It's heavyset, coming down into the basement and trying to take up all the room, knocking over boxes.

"What?" Shikamaru hissed.

" _I think I've been poisoned by Neji_."

Nagato's brows furrowed as everyone stared at one another quietly.

"Who?" Sha inquired.

" _Sasuke's roommate_." The blond muttered in sadness.

"I thought his name was Noah."

" _That's what I thought too, Sha_."

Karin bit her finger. "Is he cute?"

" _Goddamnit, Karin!"_ Naruto yelled _. "This is not the time to joke_."

The woman sighed. "Sorry." She muttered. "Look. How about you tell us how you think you've been poisoned."

" _My chest has been tight for the last days. Ever since I've seen Sasuke. Last night, by the fire, it happened again. I felt sick like I was going to throw up or faint. And then it's always in my stomach, heated to the point of hurting_."

Karin was the first to burst out laughing. It was rambunctious and uncontrolled in a way that was playful and full of energy. Naruto's low groan was the prequel to a guttural growl and Shikamaru almost felt bad for his friend.

"Naruto...haha..you idiot, you haven't been poisoned."

Karin continued to laugh as her cousin asked in distress " _what is it then_?"

She tried muffling her giggles. "Naruto... you're in love."

" _I am not in love with Neji. Sore wa warui. Anata wa Gurosudesu_."

"Not with Neji, baka. I mean you're falling in love with Sasuke. Doesn't it sound reasonable? Name all the times you've had these feelings."

" _Um. First, it was when Sasuke laughed when he saw the dogs. He was so happy, but you know he's been depressed a bit. With the pregnancy and all, and I just wanted it to stay like that. With the dogs barking so loud, but he was still smiling and_ -"

Karin smiled. It was easy to call Naruto an idiot, but it was harder to acknowledge that he was never really a teen. He had never got to experience crushes in school or anything Karin and Nagato got to experience. After Kiba's gruesome murder, he wasn't given a choice to be a kid again. Because Minato, Misaji, and Madoka had made him the star child; the money maker; the future kingpin; they had made him Omo. and there was no going back from that.

"Okay. I think I got it, Itoko. You're in love. What you choose to do with it is-"

" _I'm going to propose to Sasuke_." The joyful declaration was so sudden, it had made everyone in that room numb to the bone. As if they had been dipped into ice-cold waters and left there to die. Naruto had never been so determined about someone before, so moving straight into marriage, as Omo, was something peculiar. " _I'll go out right now with Oji and get the most beautiful ring. Sasuke's going to be so happy. Thank you, Karin_."

Broken from her stupor, the redhead mumbled "You're welcome. But, Naruto? What of Roh Moo-hyun and the Yamanaka?"

Naruto hummed. " _As of now, Roh has been suspended until further notice, but I've spoken with the prime minister. He's still contacting the Yamanaka. The prime minister had also given that Roh will be visiting Japan in a month. I have an idea, but I'm busy right now, so I'll need to talk about it later, alright?"_

Karin sighed. "Alright. Bye bye, silly hoe."

Naruto laughed. " _Ta ta, rich bitch_." and the phone clicked, signaling the end of a conversation, and maybe the end of an era too.

Because maybe people did actually change. Even if just a little.

* * *

 _Nagasaki, Japan_

 _Night of February 23, 2004_

Naruto Namikaze has a surprise for him and that's all he knows. Oji is in on the surprise too, so it must really be something. Sasuke is almost nervous in his car. What more could Naruto give him that he hasn't already? Being with Omo feels like Sasuke has the world in the palm of his hands. Could it be the universe now? Is that what Naruto's surprise is?

His stomach is doing flips everywhere and he wants it to calm down. Even Neji, who is still at the shop, has let him off early so that he can see what this surprise because he too is interested. And that makes Sasuke Uchiha even more nervous than anything.

What if Naruto proposed?

The raven clenched the steering wheel, not able to contain his happiness. "What?" He whispered, smiling enough to make his cheeks hurt. That couldn't be. They had been dating for a year and a half, and Sasuke was pregnant, but was Naruto the kind of man to commit? What was Sasuke kidding? Of course, he was. Naruto said love you more than he, but the more he thought about this, the more it made him feel all jittery on the inside.

"Please calm down." He asked the child in his stomach.

 _Wee_

The raven blinked hard as the red and blue lights of the police car shot at him. "What?" His brows furrowed in confusion before he contemplated pulling over or riding out just a little more. The raven sighed, moving over to the side of the road and parking his vehicle.

Maybe he was speeding. With all that happiness and excitement, it had to be the speeding.

He watched the officer come around and he smiled at her, noticing that other in the back looking at the car. "I know what you're going to say. It's about my speeding, ma'am."

The woman nodded. "Since you admitted your mistake, I should let you go with a warning. But the law is the law, sir, and I'm going to have to write a ticket. License and registration please."

Sasuke's grimace was hidden with a tight smile as he looked in his wallet for his license. He handed it to the woman as she wrote diligently on her notepad.

"Uh...Sasuke Uchiha. This your car?"

"It's in my name, yes."

The woman looked back, to her partner who was behind the car, consistently shining his flashlight into Sasuke's back window.

"Could you step out of the car, please? And put your hands on the hood."

He didn't understand why this was all needed for a speeding ticket, but he still put his hand on the door to get out. He watched the woman with intensity before moving to the front and putting his hands flat down.

"I don't understand why my removing from the vehicle is necessary to speeding."

"Please be patient and cooperative, sir, as my partner searches the vehicle."

That's it. They were idiots. What they were doing was idiotic, wrong, and illegal. Why search his vehicle without stating that they were suspicious of it? They were idiots, but they were also very serious about their jobs. They weren't officers employed by the cartel; they were on the right side of the law.

"I've got something." Her partner muttered as soon as he popped the trunk. She went back and shined her light inside. And they talked. They talked in heated whispers for a good ten minutes. They talked until Sasuke's arms began to hurt on the hood of the car. They talked until they got tired of it.

The woman came back her around, her attitude different than the nice woman she was. "Please put your hands behind your back, sir."

"What?" He asked incredulously. "Why? What's going on?" He wouldn't do it, so she struggled to get his hands interlocked in the cuffs.

"Sasuke Uchiha, you are under arrest for the illegal possession of narcotics in a vehicle. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to have an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be appointed to you by the court."

"What?" He asked again. But they said nothing as and he did not struggle as he was being led to the car. He didn't even get upset. This situation was stupid. And he shook his head at the man who supposedly found the 'narcotics' in his trunk.

"You have no idea who you're hurting by putting me in these cuffs." He whispered, venom breaking the mood and slicing the tone. They laughed and slammed the door, thinking they'd drown him out.

"Naruto's going to kill you." He growled.

* * *

 **Japanese words used here:**

Koshaku means "the duke," or just duke for short. This is the name of Naruto and Sasuke's male German Doberman Pinscher.

Joō means "the queen," or queen for short. This is the name of Naruto's and Sasuke's female dog. You can guess why Naruto named them this way. Omo means lord, so yeah.

Totemo yoi means "very good"

Anata wa yawarakaidesu translates to "you are soft."

Tsuneni means "always."

Anata wa totemo suteki ni miemasen means "you do not look very nice."

Naze nagai kao translates to "why the long face?"

Sore wa warui means "that's bad."

Anata wa Gurosudesu translates to "you are gross."

 **Happy trails, the title, is an effect of Cocaine. But in this chapter, we see characters that are not happy until people make them.**

 **Examples: Naruto is worried about Sasuke until his friends make him feel a bit better; Sha is saddened by her life, but it's obvious that Shikamaru makes her happier. Sasuke is depressed about who he is, but Naruto makes him happy. Bolade is angry about losing money to the Yamanaka, but he knows that the cartel will retaliate with stronger tactics. Shikamaru misses his childhood as well as his best friend Naruto. He also hates what the gunshot did to Nagato, but he feels that if Nagato is happy, he should be too.**

 **I hope this chapter satisfied you until three days from now. Please write a review and thank you. :)**


	10. Sleigh Ride

**Sleigh Ride**

 **So….how about that cliffhanger, huh? Well, I have to tell you all that there's a lot more where that came from. I want this story to have you on the edge of your seats; pulling your hair out; biting your nails.**

 **Special thanks to the reviewers of chapter 9: Franbunny, HeartSNS, bumbardy, and yaoifangirl102**

 **Franbunny: Your first sentence was me. XD. When I finished last chapter, which was not where I was originally going to take it, I was like, Holy crap, where does this go?**

 **HeartSNS: I'm glad I left you hanging there. I like to think of myself as a padawan (learner or apprentice of jedi) of writing. I'm not exactly at my start, but I am learning to get even better with my stories. So thank you for handing me the muse. :D**

 **Bumbardy: Thanks so much for loving it. Also, I saw your chapter one review. I'm just like you. I have a common pet peeve of uncompleted stories. And while one of my stories is on hiatus, I am drafting it and it will be finished after Omo. I only read completed stories as well, but I'm glad that this is your first ongoing story, and I'm glad it's mine. Thanks so much for the support.**

 **Yaoifangirl102: :D the way you wrote OMG, though. I couldn't even...lol. Wait until you read this one.**

* * *

 _Tokyo High Court_

 _Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan_

 _March 17, 2004_

The man ahead of him is old and withered. He shouldn't be here, and he definitely shouldn't be the one to tell Sasuke Uchiha his sentence. His hands are trembling as he picks up the paper and Sasuke resists the urge to roll his eyes. But they're too busy staring in anticipation on what the verdict is; what the paper says.

Sasuke Uchiha was a smart man, so when the judge's mouth pushed to the side a little and his eyes dimmed, Sasuke looked down. It was a unanimous decision. The man looked to his right, staring at the jury with his old eyes. "Will the jury foreperson please stand? Has the jury reached a unanimous verdict?"

The foreperson stood with a nod, pushing a sheet of paper before her. She handed it to the guide and the guide took it to the judge.

Sasuke turned around, staring at people that sat on his side. Amongst them was an army. People in the Namikaze cartel that had come to support him, some that had come to see him for his bravery. For what he had done for the business. But Sasuke's eyes had lingered on the more important people.

Sha, whose sadness could not be contained by the quiet murmurs around the court as the verdict was read aloud. The sadness was a fool and it shouldn't be there but it was. It cried silently and hugged itself and tried to pretend that nothing was wrong, but there was.

Shikamaru and Bolade, whose respect could not be overshadowed by the judge reading the verdict out loud. Sasuke was in jere because Sasuke had done something for the cartel not even they had done yet.

Sasuke had confessed to a crime and taken full blame without saying a thing about business.

Oji, whose pride could not be confused with disappointment. Reo Yamaguchi wasn't an idiot. He had grown wiser and wiser as he grew. He knew of the illegal activity, but he also knew Sasuke had a choice. So when Sasuke had told him everything, down to the last murder, Oji felt that there was nothing left to do. And once in his sad life, he had told Sasuke to take responsibility; why not be prideful for the one time the raven was?

" _(Possession of CDS - Cocaine/Distribute)_

 _CITY OF TOKYO v. Sasuke Uchiha: SUPERIOR COURT OF LAW_

 _INDICTMENT NO. 1: LAW DIVISION HONSHU_ _ISLAND_

 _POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED DANGEROUS SUBSTANCE_

 _Count _ONE (1)_ of the indictment, possession of controlled dangerous substance, charges defendant _SASUKE UCHIHA_ who did unlawfully and knowingly or purposely possess a controlled dangerous substance, to wit; Cocaine._

 _Our verdict is:_

 _NOT GUILTY_ ___ _GUILTY __ _ **X**_ ___

 _POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED DANGEROUS SUBSTANCE WITH THE INTENT TO DISTRIBUTE_

 _If you find the defendant "GUILTY," please answer the following question._

 _What was the weight of the Cocaine that the State proved beyond a reasonable doubt._

 _Check one_ __ less than one-half ounce_

 __ one-half ounce or more but less than five ounces_

 ___ _ **X**_ __ five ounces or more_

 _PLEASE ADVISE THE SHERIFF'S OFFICER THAT YOU HAVE REACHED A VERDICT."_

"We the jury find the defendant guilty."

The judge looked up. "The verdict has been reached quickly as has the sentencing." He started at Sasuke with pity. "The court has very carefully considered and weighed the aggravating and mitigating circumstances found to exist in this case, being ever mindful that human freedom is at stake in the balance. The court finds, as did the jury, that the aggravating circumstances present in this case outweigh the mitigating circumstances present.

Accordingly, it is: ORDERED AND ADJUDGED that the defendant, Sasuke Uchiha, is hereby sentenced to two years for the possession of narcotics with an intent to use them for profit. The defendant is hereby committed to the custody of the Department of Corrections of the city of Tokyo for this sentence as provided by law. DONE AND ORDERED in The high court of Tokyo, this 17th day of March 2004."

Loud murmurs raised above the court and the old man raised a hand as he watched Sasuke clutch his stomach for safety. The Uchiha was can and had been during this entire trial. What for? How could he be so calm when he was going to prison.

"Because you were cooperative, you have been given a lighter sentence. But do not think, even for a second, that you being a part of a criminal drug organization and telling all, makes you a good man. You have been a part of this gruesome drug war as anyone else. May God have mercy on your soul. Court is adjourned."

Sasuke looked back to the people on his side. This time however, his eyes traveled further into the deep, trying to find someone very important to him. And there he was, covered from head to toe in black. The hat, the gloves, and suit covering his true identity well.

Like Sasuke, the mysterious man had been calm during the trial. Her was neither sad nor disheartened about what was going on. In face, like Sasuke, he knew. But he was here for something different, something Sasuke knew as well. He was writing in a journal, as if he were a courtroom illustrator. But in that journal was far from what was going on. They were simply names; names of the jurors; the police; the guide; the so called witnesses.

Sasuke Uchiha coughed and the mysterious man looked up, his blue eyes boring into obsidian ones. The raven's eyes went to the floor and back to the ceiling, his head stiff as concrete.

Naruto nodded and wrote another name because Sasuke was now offended.

They were going to kill the judge too.

* * *

 _Namikaze Mansion_

 _January 17, 2027_

Ito raised his hands. "Wait. I'm sorry. I really don't mean to interrupt, but _you_ did the time, Namikaze-san?"

Sasuke shrugged as if it weren't a big deal. "Yeah, why?"

"But you were pregnant."

Sasuke hummed. "That does sound crazy. But listen, when your husband runs Japan the way mine did, and you get committed for a crime, you don't really go to jail. In fact, the prison had built a nice house for me away from the others. I had nice meals, a nice bed, my professors were teaching me through emails."

Sasuke laughed softly as he looked down, the memories coming back to him. "I graduated in prison. And my first son was born in that prison. But it was a tough time, and having Naruto with me every step of the way was so helpful. But…."

"You mentioned that your first pregnancy was by far your hardest pregnancy."

The raven nodded, leaning back and crossing his arms over his chest as a way to hug himself. Tears filled his eyes, but they weren't stronger then him. They would not fall. "Yeah. Thank God I don't look like what I've been through." He whispered.

* * *

 _Interrogation room_

 _Night of Sasuke Uchiha's first arrest_

 _February 23, 2004_

He tapped his fingers on the desk impatiently, concealing his anger that he had on this entire police force. He felt frustrated that he had been sitting in this room for an hour now and they had yet to give him his phone call, and it shown in the constant rub of his creased forehead; in the constant rub of his clenched lips.

The more he thought about what Naruto could do to the people and what they had already done to him, the more the rage rose in him like a tide, ready to break the dam and flood the land. He couldn't wait until Naruto knew their names. He just couldn't wait.

As if his anger was being read around the entire facility and it disturbed the police greatly, someone had knocked on the door. And yet, they walked right in after knocking only once. The woman was pretty, but she didn't look to be easily manipulated.

Her hair was pink. The pink that Naruto liked to describe as healthy, the one that neutralized disorder. Her soft eyes were green, like the color of life, who had given humans growth each day. She was sophisticated, if her crisp suit was anything to go by. The woman stopped by the door and read her notes. "Sasuke Uchiha?" She mumbled loud enough so that he could here.

"My name is Sakura Haruno. I am a private investigator that will be interviewing you tonight."

The man scowled softly at her when she looked toward him. He was still angry of course and now that he could vent it out, he pointed to the woman harshly. "I want you to know right now that I am the smartest person in this room."

Haruno looked around with a soft smirk. "Well, Sasuke. It's only you and me here."

"Hn."

Cautiously, she took a seat across from him. "Are you warm? Have they been treating you well?" As if she were different than any one of them. These goddamn scum, holding him here against his will. Searching his car without expressing that they found it suspicious. Pulling him over in the first place for speeding.

"Why haven't I been given a phone call?"

She ignored his question. Instead, she reached in her pocket and pulled out a shining white packet. Opening it, the woman plopped one of the sticks between her lips. "Would you like a cigarette?" She questioned expertly.

The Uchiha placed an arm over his stomach. "I don't smoke. And please don't smoke around me."

She raised a brow. "Why?"

He wondered if the baby shifted beneath his flesh, trying to curl into itself to not be harmed by the smoke. She wouldn't understand. None of them would ever understand. _My little one is inside me and I can't have him harmed._ "I have really bad asthma."

She hummed. "Shame. Korera wa yoidesu." His eyes narrowed in disbelief as she pulled out a lighter and lit the cigarette anyway. Sasuke tried holding his breath, but it didn't work.

"Are you aware of why you're here, Uchiha-san?"

"I was pulled over for speeding." He replied without hesitation. Just to see the look on her face when she realize how stupid those two road cops were.

"And you were speeding because?" She wondered aloud. "Trying to get away from something." The 1960 interrogation techniques were horrible and Sasuke resisted the urge to laugh right in her smug face. Because he had her in the palm of his hand and he would hold tight until he was out of this room.

"No. I had just left work. My boyfriend had a surprise for me."

She hummed and wrote it down. "Do you have any history of delinquency and criminal behavior, Uchiha-san?"

He smiled. "You took an hour to step foot in this room. You tell me."

He watched her green eyes shift upward sharply and he couldn't contain the smile that collided with his teeth. Sasuke Uchiha knew that was a cunning man that could outsmart even the devil himself. But the reward was seeing the surprise and offense in their eyes.

Looking away quickly, Sakura gave off two bad moves that told Sasuke he was winning. First she rubbed her neck in a way that something was on it and then she shifted in her seat so that she was leaning more to her left. Sakura Haruno, supposed private investigator, was nervous.

 _By little old me?_ The raven muttered in his head.

"It says here that you're a student attending Nagasaki University. Not only that, but you're an honors student. The top one percent of your graduating class. You have no criminal history and you graduate in three months."

"That's correct."

A huff escaped her mouth, but she was laughing as she leaned back in her chair. Her head even went back in a hysterical way. Sasuke glared. "You realize you fucked up, right?" She asked. "Your class stats; your honors; none of that will matter. The evidence is clear Sasuke Uchiha. What was found in your car is enough to put you in prison for 2-20 years. Possession of illegal drugs is a dangerous thing."

Sasuke shrugged. "Are you sure you aren't the one that fucked up?"

She glared. "What makes you think that?"

"The car I was driving an hour ago is a 1955 Chrysler Imperial. What's inside the trunk is not visible because it isn't' connected to the back window. Usually, a police officer will need a warrant to search my property. However, during a traffic stop, they need probable cause to legally search my car." Sasuke contained his laugher at he dumbfounded face. "That means they needed facts or evidence to believe I was involved in criminal activity. And that's where they fucked up. That means sight or smell of contraband in plain view sight. If he couldn't see or smell anything, why search my car? Therefore I am being illegally detained; no matter if you found drugs or not."

He really was the smartest person in that room.

Sakura watched him quietly for a moment. But he knew he wasn't being studied. She was thinking of something to say. Something to at least counter a single sentence in his speech.

The man put his hands on the table. "And besides. The evidence looked a bit beige, don't you think? What makes you believe it actually _is_ cocaine?

The silence is on his side. It has barged into the interrogation room and pointed at the policewoman with arrogance. It had come to high five Sasuke and laugh and dance because Sasuke was really making it home tonight. Sakura stared for a long moment before she grabbed handheld transceiver. "Bring me the evidence from arrest number 42. And have the police from that arrest questioned on the incident."

Sasuke shrugged lightly. "It won't matter if he says he had probable cause or not. Those were amateurs that pulled me over and anyone in a courthouse would see that."

They waited quietly a few minutes. It was obvious that Sasuke was in a good mood. It was Obvious that Sakura was upset. She did not speak another question to him and for that, the Uchiha was grateful.

When the evidence of his arrest did arrive, another detective sat it on the table delicately and Sasuke wanted to smirk and say ' _you think that's something? We have tons.'_

Sakura looked to be an intelligent investigator, but the five minutes they had known one another was beginning to shine the light through. Either Sasuke was devilishly sharp or Sakura was terribly dense. She cut the bag with her nail and stuck her finger in the white substance. It gave Sasuke a moment to really admire Naruto's work. His substance was as pure as cocaine came , white and powdery with a hint of heaven. Sasuke watched the woman stick her coated finger in her mouth as did the other detective with wide eyes.

She smirked at him. "This evidence is pure cocaine. I win."

He smirked. "And this evidence has now been tampered with, love. And the penalties for that include jail up to one year for a state misdemeanor conviction, state prison for up to 20 years for felony tampering with evidence. Or even you may be ordered to pay as much as ¥1 million on a state conviction. You can defend against a criminal charge, but as a police person yourself, you'll be charged with the intent and knowledge."

The man who had come in was obviously no other detective. His next words were said quickly, harshly, but Sasuke had enough time to know he wasn't just anyone.

"My office now, Haruno."

The woman stood quietly, not looking Sasuke in the eyes as she left. "I win." He stated clearly. "Tampered evidence cannot be used in the court of law."

Haruno's boss looked to be livid, but his anger wasn't as deep and cold as Sasuke's. Sasuke's anger was fury and hell had none like it. With his own transceiver, the man muttered something that made every bone in Sasuke's body tremor. "Send in Aburame. Maybe he'll get the job done."

 _Aburame._

 _Aburame. A name he hear before._

Sasuke blinked and the realization hit him like lighting, quick and startling, gone as it had come. And suddenly, Sasuke didn't want to leave the interrogation room so fast.

* * *

 _Nagasaki Japan_

 _February 20, 2004_

 _Naruto's mood at the breakfast table cannot be overlooked. Around one another, they were happy. They brought sides of themselves and they fit together like the primary colors; red, blue, and yellow._

 _Naruto is a born leader; he is almost as fascinated with the color red as he is with Jay-Z. When Naruto kills Kiba, who didn't deserve it, the sky gave him red, which is blood. But then it gave him power, money, and a name in the streets. So Naruto feels like he owes the color red a lot. He is the fire and the blood. He is war and danger, but he's also leadership, determination, and power._

 _Sasuke is a born balancer; The second time Sasuke is born again, it is inside a blue river and beneath a blue sky, not in an emergency room in the summer of 1997. He is confidence and intelligence, but he is also loyalty, stability, and heaven._

 _Reo is a born prophet; the atomic bomb is a flash of yellow from what he remembers the day it killed him. Because yes, the bombs killed people that didn't even die. Beneath the rubble and the burning skin; between cutting his sister's scorched body from his arm, finding his father years after and under the stone; and watching his mother, who the bomb made a monster, throw up her insides; despite losing all that he had never claimed, Reo is yellow. Yes, once he was cowardice, but then he could be nothing but optimism and freshness._

 _So when Naruto is upset about something, the balance is gone and neither of them talk._

 _Sasuke is the first to address the issue. He looks up at Naruto with his brows creased and his mouth quivered. "What's wrong?"_

 _Blue eyes that really belong to Sasuke Uchiha stray away from his uneaten miso soup to his lover's. "Nothing." He mutters. And then those eyes are back to the soup and Sasuke hates to admit that he misses them. He always misses when Naruto's eyes are on him._

" _Something's wrong. So tell us. We're family now, baka."_

 _Naruto sighed. "You won't be interested, Sasuke. Trust me."_

 _It is Reo who utters the next words and both younger man a surprised by them. "Is it cartel business? Tell us about it. It may make you feel better." He doesn't speak again until he's annoyed by the fourth blink of Naruto's surprised eyes and the seventh of Sasuke's. "Just because I'm a 72 year old man doesn't mean I know nothing about crime and business."_

 _And Naruto shakes his head with a smile because this man across from him is obviously where Sasuke gets his loyalty from._

" _Well, if you insist Oji….I just got word from Bolade that the Yamanaka have violated our territory agreement and, with consent of our now former business partner, have been selling in South Korea."_

 _Sasuke's head is the first that moves to the side. He had no idea there were other cartels in Japan and he most certainly didn't know they had territory agreements. "Yamanaka?" He asks, the name sounding odd coming from between his teeth._

 _Naruto nods. "They're a rival clan. They've been in the business longer than I have, but I have more power. You see, they're coca farm in Bocas de Pilbi is smaller than mine. Their territory which is just northern Japan and South Korea, until I get this figured out, isn't as profitting as mine."_

" _You know a lot about their business, Naruto." Reo notes a loud. And Naruto smirks._

" _I have to. Me and their leader, Ino, do not have a good relationship. She is more of a snake then I am, but she's a lot less smarter and a lot more reckless."_

 _Sasuke hums. "How do you know?" Because before Sasuke, Naruto Namikaze didn't even know he way gay. So this Ino could be a former girlfriend of his._

" _She's one of the kids that used to bully me. Called me poor. Said I was dirty. Used to push me in the creek because apparently I stunk. Yeah." Naruto's mouth quivers because obviously there is still some held hate for this Ino Yamanaka woman, who runs her own cartel and violated his orders. "She is one of the ones I regret not killing."_

" _Why not now?" And again, Reo is faced with stares and blinks and Sasuke's silent question of who his loving grandfather is._

 _Naruto shrugs. "Bad for business. And I don't want to kill her you know? I almost want to see her rot. She's been under the federal police's radar for about two years now. One of the other students she used to bully, Shino Aburame, is leading that investigation."_

" _You know him too?"_

" _Yeah. I remember every kid from my class. But only four of our names will ever be known; Aburame, Yamanaka, Nara, and Namikaze. Three of us shifted to criminal activities, one is a famous detective around Japan. He's known for cracking down on hundreds of cases. He's been chasing the Yamanaka for years."_

" _Really? Tell me more?" And Naruto does because he can't resist giving Sasuke exactly what he wants._

* * *

A sinister smile creeped into Sasuke Uchiha's face. The ideas in his mind were almost life changing. In fact, they were. No question.

"I need to see the phone."

The man sighed. "Come with me please, Uchiha-san."

* * *

 _Mohammed Household_

 _Tokyo, Japan_

 _Night of Sasuke Uchiha's first arrest._

 _February 23, 2004_

He awakes suddenly, as anyone in criminal activity would. His eyes aren't fast enough to adjust to the darkness, but the sound of his phone blaring is enough to make Bolade sit up with a soft scowl.

He watches Sha shift in her sleep. "ta'n it off." She mumbled. The man reached over to his dresser and answered the phone. "Hello." He muttered.

" _Eyi Sasuke."_

B turns his head in words of his native language are broken horribly, but he knew it was Sasuke by the softness in his tone. Sasuke Uchiha was important to Naruto Namikaze, a close friend and business partner. So that meant Sasuke was important to everyone in the Namikaze. His immediate question, because of the ungodly hour of night was "Sasuke? Are you alright?"

" _Mo ti wà mu? Mu?"_

So Sha had been teaching the Uchiha a little bit of their language. He'd have to speak with her about that later. Right now, there was a different issue. Sasuke just said he had been caught. Yes, the words are broken and it isn't the proper way to speak a sentence in Yoruba, but there is no way around the words. Sasuke Uchiha had been arrested. Why he was calling Bolade was the next explanation.

"Do you want me to get a hold of-"

" _No. Not his name. Don't say it. Call him. Tell him do not show his face here. oun yoo wa ninu wahala. Please, I need you to trust me on this. I'm only helping."_

So now he could not speak of Naruto as if the conversation were being monitored. And maybe it was, which would explain Sasuke speaking in Yoruba. But what was going on? Why was he protecting Naruto? Why had he been arrested in the first place? Were they on to the cartel?

"Okay, Sasuke. I trust you."

There was a soft hum in the back of the other man's throat. " _Good. Call him. Tell him not to worry and I'll be home by tomorrow morning. Also, miiran ebi. I will expose."_

Sasuke hung up before he had a chance to ask further questions. What did he really mean it about the other family? Expose what?

Sha twisted slightly in her sleep and Bolade stood to call Naruto immediately. He couldn't explain what Sasuke meant, but he knew Naruto was worried about the man. Maybe Sasuke's words would give him relief.

* * *

He's afraid. The news of Sasuke being arrested is the one thing that finally make Ōmo admit that he's afraid.

Sasuke is a mastermind beneath those pretty eyes. He is an intelligent man. But he puts fear in Naruto the blond never knew he had. Sasuke didn't want Naruto to come bail him out because it would add speculation and Naruto would lose strength in the election.

The drugs found in the car and then Naruto Namikaze himself coming to bail him out would tear the Namikaze cartel down. So Sasuke is smart in telling him not to show.

But it didn't make the blond feel less scared. He plays with the engagement ring in his palm, trying to block out the very obvious and very nervous Reo Yamaguchi at the table.

Sasuke has a plan to not only shatter the Yamanaka for selling in South Korea, but he also has the idea of using a steel bat. He wants to expose them and ultimately eliminate them. Sasuke is cunning.

But Sasuke is pregnant. And Naruto is afraid with a powerless feeling. But he is unaware that while he is afraid for his love, Sasuke Uchiha is telling private investigator Shino Aburame a lie so cunning, it had to be truth.

Right now, Sasuke isn't Sasuke.

Sasuke is a small drug dealer from the Yamanaka clan. He sells on the streets of northern Japan . He knows about the Yamanaka clan. He knows about their coca plant in Columbia. The homes in Japan used for drug manufacture.

He knows about the horrible crime that Ino and Fū had done three years ago to Muta Aburame. Shino Aburame wonders how he knows these things when Sasuke Uchiha is nothing but a street dealer.

Sasuke claims that although he is not big in the cartel, word does get around. He also has evidence of Ino's crime. A love letter thought to be discarded.

The love letter, two years ago, is really tucked away in Naruto Namikaze's drewer. It was meant for Shikamaru Nara, who had long forgotten about Ino when he laid eyes on Sha Mohammed. But Sasuke keeps it a secret.

While Naruto is afraid for the love of his life, Sasuke has his feet propped in an interrogation room. He is telling all. Of the Yamanaka and their deal with Roh Moo-hyun. Of wanting to stay in the room and talk only because he knows the Aburame name and he wants to give Muta's cousin, who has been searching for his killer, closure. And he wants out of the Yamanaka completely.

Sasuke doesn't want to brag like he did with Sakura Haruno. Because Shino is desperate to bring peace to his family. And he doesn't want to hurt him. He doesn't want to tell Shino how really clever he is because then he'll scare him.

* * *

When Naruto arose again, Koshaku was barking at the top of his lungs. He's a small one month old but, but he had fire in his stomach the color of blood. And his bark is eye opening and everlasting.

The man shifted on the large couch where he had fallen asleep. "Duke." He warned. The dog stopped for a single moment, before barking again. A whimper left the blond's lips. He was so tired and his goofy dog was the last thing he needed. Where was Joo. "Duke, please shut up."

"So you can beg a dog…but you can't beg me. And what's this ring in your hand?"

Naruto's eyes shut open, but no one is around him. It felt like a dream. Hearing Sasuke talk to him. The man stared around the large living room, at the curtains that let the sun shine through. The memories from the night before don't hit him abruptly, but they do sit on the couch, sinking at the same rate Naruto's hope is. "Sasuke." He whispered.

"Yeah?" The footsteps are squeaky as they move from the tiled kitchen into the wooded area. And it has to be Sasuke because he's the one that insists on wearing the tall black sandals around the house.

Naruto turned slightly, watching his boyfriend stand by the kitchen door, strawberries in one hand, a black velvet box in the other.

"Duke told me you were going to propose." That's the first thing he muttered as Naruto watched.

"The dog?"

Sasuke takes a moment to think over what he said before coming to a consolation. "The dog."

Naruto brought his knees up and turned away from Sasuke. He didn't know if he should cry or laugh. Because he missed Sasuke so much; his personality; his face; his voice. "Are you okay, Sasuke?"

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

"You were arrested."

The man laughs a little. "I could be sulking around. I mean, I _was_ just released on bail with a promise that I would return to the high court for trial. But, I'm okay. You wanna know why?"

He walked over and sat next to the blond, smiling softly as he laid his head on the couch, staring smittenly.

"Why?"

"Because, the Yamanaka is not a problem anymore. And I'm back home with my boyfriend." He smirked, raising his hand as he admired the ring on his finger. "Well soon to be husband."

Naruto became hot and embarrassed and Sasuke laughed. "I didn't even ask you properly. How can you even want to be with me? You just got arrested for my drugs."

Sasuke smiled. "Ask me." Naruto's confused. "Go on. Ask me."

"Will you...marry me?" The phrase is a question, but Naruto asked in a way that said he didn't know if that's what Sasuke wanted him to say.

"And my answer is. It just better be before the baby arrives. Why wouldn't I want to marry you?"

"Sasuke, you're going to trial because of my drugs."

"No. I'm going to trial because I confessed to dealing drugs for the Yamanaka. Yes, there's a chance I'll be going to jail, but I have you with me. And I'll do less time."

"Sasuke, what about school. What about the baby? I can't have this happen. I'll have to kill the court and the police officers involved. I can't let-"

Sasuke placed a soft hand on the man's chest. "Slow down, Ōmo. You're not killing anyone….yet. not until this whole thing dies down. Besides, my fiancé runs the entirety of Japan. And you know what that means…."

Sasuke turned on the television and changed the channel to the Japan News Network. Already, there was breaking news about the Yamanaka clan. About busting the plant in Columbia.

Naruto watched with an open mouth and wide eyes as the news anchor showed a released photo from the police. The letter from his drawer. Ino's confession letter to her mysterious 'lover.'

Sasuke was already staring at him with the slyest grin. "Sasuke?" He asked softly.

Sasuke Uchiha has never taken a wrong turn in his life. Ever. Of course he is a fascinating man, but there is a smear of cartel in every bone of his body. Naruto watched videos of the police force busting into homes of known members of the Yamanaka and he knows Sasuke is behind this. Sasuke has just single handedly taken down a clan and it's business. No. Sasuke has never taken a wrong turn in his life. He has just walked down a path he never knew he was meant to walk. He has just outsmarted the police in order to get a lighter sentence.

Grabbing the hand that is encompassed by the ring, Naruto kisses his fiancee's hand. "You are as cunning as the devil and five times as pretty."

"Me?"

* * *

 _Tokyo High Court_

 _Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan_

 _March 17, 2004_

Sasuke grumbled beneath his breath as the officers pushed him into the transportation vehicle. He was not given time to talk to his family member, nor his friends. Instead, the vehicle marked Department of Corrections is his only comfort. The solitude was something that could be rocked. Like Toni Morrison once said in her book.

Arms crossed, knees drawn up, holding, holding on. Sasuke was now alone. And in that loneliness, he could finally curl his knees up, cross his arms, hold himself, and cry.

It is only after he has left the courtroom that he realizes he's going to jail. With a child. While in school. For two years.

And he could say he had faked a confession to help the Namikaze cartel with their largest issue to date, but really….when the conversation contents are being taken away, there is nothing left but Sasuke Uchiha doing time for Naruto Namikaze. There is nothing left but Sasuke laying down to do the time for Naruto.

And he knows Naruto wants to hate himself for that. He wants to berate himself and think about how his bad behaviour has issued Sasuke to become involved. But Sasuke knows that this is all on him.

The van coming to a slow halt made the raven finally put his knees down. There were no windows beyond the front seat; no windows for the convicted. So Sasuke couldn't see what was going on and why they had stopped. He isn't afraid, but there was anticipation.

The back doors were ripped open and Sasuke covered his eyes up as the sun looked into the truck, trying to get a good look at what the man had been through.

"Last stop, Uchiha." The man's voice was loud and clear, like the night sky with no clouds to cover.

Sasuke adjusted in the sun's brightness. He quietly thanked her and then he sat there staring at the two transportation guards with his eyes squinted in distrust and confusion.

"Come on." The man said again. "Anata wa nagai jikan ga kakarimasu." Sasuke was finally broken from his oblivion and he stood slowly, cautiously. He clutched tight to the prison chains around his wrist.

Glaring slightly when the man reached his arm out, the Uchiha could do nothing but glower when his arm was caught.

"Yank him from that van if you want, they will find it on fire with your body inside."

Sasuke's mouth cracked into a large grin. It hurt his lips because he hadn't drinken anything in hours, but Naruto showed up at the perfect moments. It's only when Sasuke is down and confused and in need of love. Perfect moments.

He let the man help him from the man, before turning with a genuine soft smile, and saying "thank you, Sā." even if the man was just rushing him, there is no need to be angry for so long.

The real prize is not the small suburban house that stands so still behind Naruto. But it's what's in front of that house. Naruto is watching with his arms crossed. And Sasuke knew the man was worried and alone too.

He smiled shyly when the blond onced him over. "I haven't thought about this since our first date, but you really do look good in orange. I mean..." Naruto smirked and put his hands in the pockets of his suit pants. 'I've never been more in love in my life."

"You idiot." The raven muttered, feeling uncomfortable since the two guards were still standing around. "Can't you be subtle about some stuff?"

Naruto came forward and grabbed his hands. With ease, the man pulled them upward as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a key. His eyes never left Sasuke's as he unlatched the chains. "I don't even know what subtle is."

"Of course. Why have we stopped for you?"

Naruto looked ready to pick the man up and spin him around. He raised his hand and Sasuke watched the transportation guards get back in the van and speed off.

"Not for me, Uchiha. For you." Sasuke smiled softly as Naruto turned to admire the home behind them. "This is for you. I made a deal with the prison. I can't….. I don't want you to be in a corrections facility while pregnant. Not for what did. You'll be staying here for the duration of your sentence. Of course, there will be guards here and there to watch over you, but they won't bother you."

The inside of the home looked comfortable. Copay enough for one to two people. Sasuke liked the feel of the rug beneath his feet. He liked the television. He just enjoyed being in a some made him feel loved. Or was that just Naruto?

The raven looked to his blond with a smile trying to conquer his lips. The man was going on and on about the things Sasuke had access to, his professors agreeing to teach through email, and how the baby would be taken care of.

"I'm going to have doctor Saitama to come live with you until the baby is born. He'll have all the equipment used for delivering a baby since we're far from a hospital. And he's okay with monitoring your health for a while. We both wa-"

Naruto silenced himself when Sasuke jumped on him, throwing his pale arms around the man's neck . "Kami. You have no idea how afraid I really was." The raven was crying now, his strength from before crumbling as the built up pain finally broke the wall. "I thought I was going to lose school and hurt the baby. I… I'm happy that even though I've sacrificed so much, I'm so happy you're holding me through all this. Let's get married immediately. I don't care about a big ceremony. I don't care about any of that. I just want to be Sasuke Namikaze. I want to live with you for the rest of my life because I never knew love felt this damn good."

Naruto didn't have the words to express his thoughts. That was the thing about Sasuke Uchiha; he was an inspirer, a man that anyone could fall in love with. So Naruto only whispers okay because he can't deny Sasuke a thing. He wants to marry the man immediately too because he never felt like this; he never felt like he needed to just cherish and protect someone. And in some years time, despite all that he's done for Japan, Naruto will admit that his greatest achievement was his ability to persuade his husband to marry him.

So yes, there is a loneliness that can be rocked. And that loneliness is Sasuke. But Naruto's already finished the job.

* * *

 _Prison House_

 _Tokyo Japan_

 _August 2004_

The baby's bone marrow had already started in making blood cells. The taste buds have formed on his tongue. The footprints and fingerprints have formed and Saitama says the boy's hair had begun to lungs are formed, but they do not yet work. And Sasuke and Naruto's baby have a regular sleep cycle. They know that the baby is a boy. And Sasuke is six months in. The baby's testicles had begun to descend into the scrotum. And all on top of that, he's about 1.5 pounds.

All in all, the child was doing well in his stomach. His health compensates for what's going on with Sasuke's changes.

Sasuke wants everyone to know that his child better damn well be superhuman if his carrier has to go through so much.

Each month, Sasuke's back abdomen, groin, and thighs hurt with aches and pains. There was no internal pain, but Sasuke did often curl onto the couch with whimpers as Naruto rubbed his feet and Oji pat his forehead with a damp cloth.

Sasuke's embarrassed by the stretch marks because that's Good telling him that his skin is _stretching_. Sha was over the day he found the lines upon his stomach, thighs, and butt. And Sha was the one to comfort him. She has them too. No, she was never pregnant, but Sha grew up developing hips that made her mother "pray that the wrong men didn't catch my eye."

His stomach itches, his fingers swell, and there's a line that runs from his belly button to his pubic hairline, but Sasuke's okay because the baby is.

The man sighed contently as he waited patiently for Sha to come back from the post office with the mail. Saitama, his doctor, sat by the stairs speaking to Koshaku and Joō, who were now so big that Sasuke felt proud.

"The phone for you, Sasuke-kun." His daze was hit hard as Saitama pushed the phone even closer. The raven grabbed it softly. "Oh. I'm so sorry, Sai-san. I was just thinking."

The doctor smiled. "It's okay. It's a rare pregnancy symptom if it isn't a regular occurrence. Naruto is on the line."

The raven nodded and grabbed hold of the device. He put it to his ear, humming and waiting for the voice he hasn't heard in weeks.

"Sasuke."

The grin that split his face made Joō bark very loudly. And that made Naruto laugh. "Tell Joō I will see her soon. Tell her that I have to take care of this business with Kabuto and Jisa, the people who stole from him in his own factory.

"Hi." He whispered.

"Hi, beautiful. How are you today?"

Sasuke crossed his arms with a soft smile. "I'm bored without you. Sha went to pick up the mail. The guards are outside and Saitama-san is here being boring with no emotions."

Sai looked up from his book. "I heard that." The doctor murmured, although there are no emotions to tell if he's offended. Which further proves Sasuke's point.

He and Naruto talk about the things they've been up to although his husband is reluctant to since he hasn't secured the lines. The post office is an hour away and Sha has only left ten minutes ago. So he and Naruto talk about how their week has gone. Sasuke talks about Koshaku almost falling down the stairs and Joō challenging his authority. He talks about how the baby is so healthy although he's put Sasuke through some shit and how Oji and Neji visited two days ago. Naruto talks about dealing with the thieves, but that's all. He tells Sasuke that there was a tense moment between Shikamaru and Bolade and Sasuke wonders if it had anything to do with the bruises hiding beneath Sha's makeup.

They talk about how the judge and jury of Naruto's trial were 'mysteriously' popping up dead. They talk about how Ino's cousins are getting killed by men in prison and Naruto claims he knows nothing of it. And then they talk about the mass hunt for Ino Yamanaka; the head honcho of her cartel; the evil genius who has yet to be caught by the police. And then Sasuke is tired of her name.

They talk about baby names. The child is a boy, and despite that, Sasuke talks about a fourteen years old fantasy in which he and his wife would name all the children with an 'S' so that they would be close to him. And he's surprised when Naruto states that it's a great idea. The child's name and any after, will start with S.

So they decide on Saku. But Naruto talks about the nickname that fits. The pregnancy is a rough one, despite the better times, and for Saku to make it through that, he his simply Sūpaman.

" _Please. I'll do anything, Ōmo. Anything for your forgiveness. Aaaahhhh! Please!"_

The sound of the man screaming in the background startled Sasuke. It's the security guard that Sasuke found out about. The security guard that Sasuke handed over to Naruto. Kabuto. He's begging for his life. And it goes on for five minutes while they try to keep the conversation going.

" _Shikamaru please! Aaahh! Aah!"_

Sasuke sighed. He didn't want to hear that. It was making him upset. It was making Saku upset.

Naruto sighed as well. "Hold on." His next words are very muffled and Sasuke knows he covered the speaker. "Shikamaru. _Shut him up!"_

" _Aaaahhhh-"_

The gunshot isn't loud for Sasuke. It's as muffled as Naruto's voice just was. Naruto returns to the conversation and eventually, so does his husband. But Sasuke can't get over how he can't hear the screams anymore.

They bid each other goodbye when Sha opens the door, smiling as the dogs jump on her. She rubs them, coos at them until they finally lay off. Sasuke took note of the cigar between her lips and she smiles apologetically at him.

"Can I see that?" He whispered.

Sha turned her head, ceasing in dropping the cancer stick and staring at him. Sai too has stopped to stare in curiosity.

He whispers Sasuke's name, but the Uchiha doesn't listen. Besides, the real power belongs to Sha, who's holding what the raven wants. She shakes her head, but after knowing Sasuke for two years now, she can't resist the tears that well in his eyes.

"Sha please. I can't….I need this."

Sha doesn't say a thing when Sasuke Uchiha inhales a cigar for the first time ever; with a baby in his stomach. She doesn't say a thing because she doesn't need to. Sasuke sees the disappointment in her eyes. For her and him.

But Sasuke is hurt. He feels like he killed Kabuto.

"It won't hurt the baby." He muttered, watching the smoke leave. "I swear."

* * *

 _December 20, 2004_

 _December 20, 2004_

 _December 20, 2004_

Fuck! He's an idiot. It's December 20, 2004 and Sasuke Uchiha is _ten_ months pregnant.

He blames it on himself. Because the smoking for hurt the baby. Or so he tells himself. He doesn't care if Saitama says Saku is just fine. He doesn't care of her says Saku just isn't ready to come out yet. It had to be the smoking.

He doesn't care about Naruto's constant "please don't stress" requests. He doesn't care of countless other people who have been pregnant for ten months and their child was fine. Because it's all his fault! No matter if the baby is fine. It's all his fault!

He wallowed in the deep and berated himself as he waited for Naruto to come back with food. He hated himself for what he'd done to Saku over the course of the pregnancy. He can't stand his cowardice and selfish acts.

"Sasuke…." Sai murmured, looking on in pity. _Pity. Pity._ He hated pity. He wanted someone to yell at him for what he'd done. What he had practically forced Sha to do. Why didn't Naruto hate him? "Maybe you should take a long bath and relax. It'll help you feel better. You aren't in the right mind to discuss an immediate C-section."

The raven nodded as he stood, walking slowly up the steps. He halted at the top when there was a thump heard. Turning around at the top, the raven was given a clear view of the downstairs and Sai who was now cleaning up tea cups and books.

"Did you hear something, Sai?"

Say turned and they looked at one another. "Did I hear-" he halts, his eyes widening at Sasuke. "Sasuke-kun, there's... there's a woman by you."

The raven turns and no amount of questions can make up for what happens next. Where are the guards in charge of watching the houses perimeters? Why are the windows unlocked upstairs? Who else knows about Sasuke's whereabouts since he isn't in actual prison?

Why is Ino Yamanaka, kingpin on the run, standing before him, a look of hate on her face. "Tell your husband that this is for my business."

Ino Yamanaka tips the balance when she raises a hand and pushes him. Sasuke tried all he could because dammit he had already hurt Saku enough. So really, he tried all he could to grab hold of the railing, but it's too late.

The man can feel pain as he stumbled down the steps. It took three crushes to his head, one to his ankle, and three to his stomach where Saku is sleeping. Or where Saku is now trying to stay alive.

"Sasuke-kun!"

When he stops, there's blood, but he isn't sure where it flows from or where it's going. When he stops, it's not at the bottom of the steps. But instead, in a river, drowning with his secrets and watching In at the top of the stares. His vision is going in and out.

His last image, and what God had been trying to warn him of all along, is Ino pointing her gun at the living witness, Sai. And the gunshot he hears, not muffled, but ear piercing, is enough to knock them both out.

* * *

 _Prison house_

 _December 20, 2004_

Naruto smiled softly as he walked up to the door of Sasuke's temporary home. Sasuke was craving a lot and Naruto wanted to make the man feel better. Especially about his mistakes. He wanted Sasuke to know that their son was Sūpaman. He was going to be okay.

Unlocking the door, the man walked in with a large smile. "Sasuke, I got your favorite-"

Red blood. Red blood. Red red red blood. It's something that gets along with Naruto Namikaze very well. They're well acquainted, been best friends ever since he was eleven. But the sight of red red red blood where Sasuke is supposed to be sickens him. Naruto dropped the bags.

"Sasuke." He whispered frantically. He can't think straight at all and he doesn't even know what happened.

There's blood at the bottom of the stairs. There's _a lot_ of blood by the couch. There are droplets leading to the stairs. And then there is the long smear of it from the steps to the downstairs bathroom.

Naruto reaches behind him only to pull out a pistol. "Sasuke. Saitama?"

No answer. Only the blood and darkness is here.

There's noise in the bathroom, shuffling like someone's trying to hide. The man grimaces and makes his way to the door. The shuffling stops and there is a faint sound.

Naruto opens the door, pistol raised. Not even the confusion could have made him ready for the sight.

* * *

 **Japanese words used here:**

Korera wa yoidesu means "These are good."

Anata wa nagai jikan ga kakarimasu translates to "you take a very long time."

Sā means "sir"

Sūpaman is Japanese for "Superman." :)

 **Yoruba words used here:**

Mo ti wà mu? Mu? Means "I was caught/arrested."

 **This chapter is fast paced and leaves the reader wanting even more. It's called sleigh ride and it's a term for Cocaine to describe the rush of being high with users of the drug. We miss a lot of points here because WE'RE SUPPOSED TO MISS A LOT OF POINTS HERE. :) It's a sleigh ride and nothing can get even more dangerous than that.**

 **In some instances, characters don't even have time to explain the emotions that run through them because their action is all they need to show how crazy this ride has been. All starting with Sasuke's conviction that, no matter what you guys say, I will stand by you not seeing that coming :). The sleigh ride is so fast, it starts with Sasuke's pregnancy and ends with that so abruptly. The sleigh ride is so fast that Naruto and Sasuke are suddenly married and we don't see how it happens.**

 **However, don't think that the things we missed will never be resurfaced. They just might be resurfaced next chapter, but the sleigh ride had to be sudden, extreme, and it had to end this way.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter even if you are biting your nails. Please review and hope for the best. As I've said, it can only get worse from here, right? Love you guys.**

 **Some Trivia: it was in my mind since drafting this story that Sasuke would end up doing time for being sacrificial. That's just how he is. Now we have to see how far Naruto is willing to go** _ **for him**_ **.**


	11. Boy

**Boy**

 **Hello, my friends. :) Your reactions to the last chapter were awesome. I could tell you guys were at loss for words even if you guys reviewed. Um, there's not much I want to say besides that there is a serious warning to this chapter. If you cannot read about mature issues like torture or abuse, please turn away. These aspects are vital to this story no matter how much it hurts to write them. Thank you.**

* * *

 _The best thing about my husband?_

 _He told me every terrible thing he ever did_

 _And he let me love him anyway_

 _\- Sasuke "Psycho" Namikaze_

* * *

 _Seoul, South Korea_

 _December 12, 2004_

" _I'm on the line here." The blond haired woman hissed. "My cousins are in prison; my coca plant has been raided and so have the houses. How could this happen? How could you have told Naruto about our deal?"_

 _Roh Moo-hyun sighed in exasperation. "I didn't know that he would retaliate in that way. I didn't know that he would go to the police. In fact, I had no idea that you two knew each other personally."_

 _Ino leaned forward. "We've always known each other. We just weren't friends. In fact, we've always been enemies."_

" _Then why does he know so much about you and you, not him?"_

 _The thought of an unrequited love with Shikamaru Nara came to mind. He didn't love her the way she did him when they were younger. He never would. Naruto Namikaze was more important to Shikamaru Nara then he was to anyone._

 _Ino growled, making the Korean man flinch. "That doesn't matter. Jūyōna no wa… you broke our deal and I've lost power because of it. My family is dying because of it. The national police are searching for me because of it. A suspended president is of no use to me. Fix it before I do."_

 _Roh smiled sheepishly. "I have a way to fix it. I do." He leaned over and on his house phone, he pressed the speaker button. "This man's name is Camui. He has information, but he wants money."_

 _The man on the other line began to speak. "_ _ **Naruto Namikaze is not the one that exposed you, but you should be angry no less. He should be punished no less. The man who exposed you name is Sasuke Uchiha. But that's not the name you may know. Have you heard the names Felony or Psycho?"**_

 _Ino's heard the latter. Not much, but apparently, there's a rising name in this business given to some man who has been risking his life to do crazy things. Something about going into a coca factory with no experience in the game whatsoever. Something about standing up to the Lenny "Killer" Smith._

" _I've heard one, yes."_

" _ **Well, those names belong to the Sasuke Namikaze; the husband of Naruto Namikaze. They call him felony because he's the one that exposed your clan just so that he could do less time in prison. The guy's an intersex. He's pregnant."**_

" _That's vile!" Were Ino's first words. She had no way to really respond. She had no idea that Naruto would stoop slow as to become gay. She had no idea men could even get pregnant._

" _ **But that isn't the craziest thing. They call him psycho for what he's been doing. He's doing prison time while pregnant. And he's been deeply involved with the cartel. They call him Wicked witch because he outsmarted the police. He fooled them enough to make them think he was involved with your cartel."**_

 _The more she heard about how sly this Wicked Witch; Psycho; Felony; Sasuke Namikaze. Whatever the fuck they called him! The more she heard about this sly man, the angrier she grew._

" _Enough! Who are you and how does this solve my problem?"_

" _ **Well...this Sasuke man. I know a way you can get him back. I know a way you can hurt him and Naruto if you're willing to pay. I know that you can kill the baby and Sasuke."**_

 _Ino's face molded into a sinister grin. "How?"_

" _ **I'm one of his prison guards."**_

* * *

 _Prison House_

 _Tokyo, Japan_

 _December 20, 2004_

The blood flowing from beneath the bathroom door is the color that Naruto enjoys a lot. But at this moment, it scares him. He left Sasuke and Saitama with the dogs and guards, and a bloody home is what he returned to. So he has the right to be afraid. Afraid for his husband, their child, the dogs, and Saitama.

The blood flowed like a lazy river. It flowed like so much red gravy across the house floor and interrupted the white tiled floor.

The man opened the door softly and gasped, dropping the gun as soon as the sight was seen.

Sasuke was in the tub, asleep or dead. He couldn't tell. The man was bruised and below him, where his legs were spread in the tub was so much blood. He was naked besides his underwear and his stomach was exposed, showing black stitches. There was no need to question why the stitches were there. Because there on Sasuke Uchiha's chest was the smallest human Naruto had ever seen.

The baby is pale and wrinkly. His eyes are puffy and swollen and Naruto can't tell if he's sleep. The stump on his belly button is yellow and green. On his face is a small breathing tube and although it looks like he has no strength, Naruto will go on for years talking about how this baby was clutching onto Sasuke like he was the world. The skin that he's clutching, Sasuke's chest, is red.

On side of the tub, Joo is sitting by the tub, guarding it obviously.

"Sasuke." He whispered.

It isn't Sasuke who replies, however. The man who responds to Naruto, is behind the door, breathing heavily and wrapping his shoulder. "Naruto, is that you?"

The blond stepped in fully, looking behind the door. "Saitama." he gasped, dropping to the bloody floor beside the wounded man. Saitama was cleaning the bullet wound in his shoulder, wincing occasionally. But he had a gun in that hand connected to the wounded shoulder. Pointed directly at the door for anyone that came in. When his eyes met Naruto's, the gun dropped and he sighed in relief.

"The child is fine. We just need him in the hospital now. When Ino pushed Sasuk-"

The sound of that disgusting name was enough to make the blond growl lowly. "That bitch was here? She did this?"

"She got in through the upstairs. I don't even think the guards were out there. But, when she pushed Sasuke, he hit his head twice, hurt his ankle. Then she shot me. She was going to finish us." Saitama's eyes filled, the desperation in his voice filled with spending an entire ten months getting to know Sasuke. Filled with almost losing his life and almost losing a child. "She was going to come down and kill the baby, but Koshaku ran up the stairs. He attacked her. I managed to put my pain aside because I knew if I didn't deliver the baby, he would die. I tried to put Sasuke to sleep, but he wouldn't allow it and performed the C-section. But we need to get them to the hospital. If we don't, Sasuke will die and so will the baby. I'm sorry, Naruto. I am. I tried everything that I could."

Naruto turned back, staring at the two occupants of the bloody tub. In the fit of light, Sasuke's eyes opened the slightest and when his bloodshot eyes met Naruto's, he tried nodding his head to confirm what Saitama was saying.

Naruto sighed. "Saitama. I owe you my life. For saving my husband and my son. Thank you." He grabbed the man's healthy arm and put it around his shoulder. "Do you think you can stand?"

The pale man nodded and proceeded to grunt as he stood. He leaned against Naruto and sighed heavily.

"Don't worry. I'm going to get an ambulance out here soon. Just hold on, alright?"

A slow nod but enough.

He helped Sai to the living room and the man grimaced at the sight of his and Sasuke's blood. "Must be a superhero." He muttered to Naruto. "To fall down the stairs and still be strong enough to stay awake during a C-section."

Naruto smiled and sat the man on the couch. "Hai. But now I know another. You tended to Sasuke and delivered Saku with a bullet pushing around in your shoulder. _Must_ be a superhero."

Sai laughed softly. Naruto reached into his pocket and texted Shikamaru, telling him to get an ambulance to Sasuke's prison immediately.

"I'm gonna get the baby and Sasuke. Were the dogs hurt?"

"Not Joō. But I'm not sure about Koshaku. He ran her back out the way she came."

Naruto nodded. Moving back to the bathroom, he bent down close to Sasuke, the movement finally triggering Joō to calm down. She laid there on the floor and watched Naruto and Sasuke stare at one another.

"Hi, beautiful." He whispered. There was a sinking feeling as they sat there, a sinking feeling in his stomach as he watched blood and sweat trickle down from Sasuke Uchiha's face. "I'm so sorry. I wasn't here. I can't think of anything to help."

He stopped talking, however, when his husband lifted his hand. "I'm not angry." And he put his hand on the blond's cheek and wiped a tear from the side of his face. Sasuke's voice was broken.

"Can you tell me what hurts?"

"It hurts to breath...my ribs hurt. I...my head is wet because it's bleeding. Everything."

"I'm going to pick you up and wrap the baby." only after his nod does Naruto go to work. He goes to the sink to clean his hands thoroughly because he doesn't want his baby to get sick. Moving back to his family, the man bent gently putting his hands on Saku's sides.

He lifted the child.

He didn't cry, he whined softly clutching even harder to his mother. He wouldn't let Sasuke go. Not at all. And Naruto realized that it wasn't for his comfort. The child, like Sasuke, is already smart. He is completely fine. He's comforting his mother. _Sūpaman._

Naruto kneeled once more and looked at Saku's tiny face. "It's alright, Saku. Your mommy's going to be alright. But I need to wrap you."

The child whimpered softly, his little brows scrunching and _fuck_ , Naruto thought. _Ōmo didn't do 'cute,' but fuck was the child adorable._

"Saku. I promise." And already, he can see the skin that the baby was holding lighten up. "Arigatō." Carefully, he lifted the boy and took him out to the living room, getting a blanket from the couch. "You are beautiful. Happy birthday, Saku."

It is December 20, 2004. And Saku Namikaze has been born.

The sound of Naruto's personal ambulance pulls near and Naruto lays the whimpering baby in Saitama's arms.

Sasuke looked up at Naruto when the man came back. "The ambulance is here. I'm gonna get you out alright?"

Instead of uttering a word, Sasuke lifts his arms in a way that Naruto wants to describe as cute. And he blames it on his emotions right now.

Carefully, the man put one arm behind Sasuke and the other beneath his knees. He lifted him as slow as he could, smiling when the raven hugged him close and tight. "It's gonna be okay." He whispered.

When he left the bathroom, Saitama was already at the door, speaking with the emergency medical technicians and paramedics.

When he saw Naruto he nodded at him. "They know about the injuries."

Naruto stared at the men. "I do not want them separated. When you get to the hospital, tell that that Ōmo wants all three of them in one large room. I will be there immediately."

The men nodded. "We'll get a stretcher for Namikaze-san."

It had taken them ten minutes to clear the house out. Saku was reunited with Sasuke and the child fell asleep instantly. Saitama went with them and Naruto said he would be there when he got Joō and Koshaku."

He whistled. "Come on Joō. Koshaku." Queen came quickly, posting before Naruto like a royal guard. "Good girl." He muttered. He looked up the steps. "Koshaku! Come, boy!"

Silence upstairs. He sighed. The man stepped over the blood and walked up the steps quietly. He moved into the first room and saw the dog sitting there, growling at the open window as if he were waiting.

"Duke?" He called.

He just kept growling. Moving over, the blond stood by Koshaku and looked down. There before his paws was a human finger.

Pale, but not as pale as Saitama's or Sasuke's. The finger was definitely that of Ino Yamanaka's. As if finally noticing that Naruto was there, Koshaku whimpered like a wolf and licked his scratched leg.

Naruto bent down. "You really did attack her, huh?" The dog leaned down and picked up Ino's bloody finger, dropping it in Naruto's open palm. "The honorable Duke. Don't worry boy. We'll get her. And now I see how bad you want her. We'll get her and I'll leave her to you."

* * *

Sasuke blinked at the bright morning light that spewed into the hospital room's windows. It was a new day and turning to his right, he found his personal doctor sleeping soundly, a small smile on his face.

His chest and shoulder had been wrapped delicately and Sasuke knew because he had watched Naruto warn the other doctors about treating the right when he wasn't there.

He was glad Sai was safe. Sai had risked his health to protect him. Despite having a bullet in his shoulder, he had delivered Saku and stitched Sasuke back up, all while kneeling next to the tub. So Sasuke, like Naruto, owed the man a lot.

Turning to his right, the man stared at the clear rectangular box that Saku slept soundly in, his cute little stomach rising and falling as he gripped thin air. The doctors had done a lot when they came in. They gave him an Apgar score based on things like his heart rate, reflexes, and skin tone. They gave him a Vitamin K shot, which he cried during. Right now he was sleeping in his small little-knitted cap they had provided and was being kept under a heat lamp until his temperature hit 98 degrees. He was so cute and tiny.

And healthy, which was the most important thing.

He was glad that it was all over. And although Naruto was still fighting his hardest to track down Ino, Sasuke felt resolved. Naruto was hurt and guilty, but he didn't mention it. He didn't talk about it. He didn't even show it. Because then he would feel weak and Omo didn't like feeling weak. He didn't want Sasuke to comfort him because Sasuke had gone through enough.

From having to keep upright in bed until a nurse came to lay him down due to his bruised ribs. Having his neck checked thoroughly and even going through therapy for that dramatic fall down the steps. Not to mention the media and its headlines

 _Sasuke Namikaze, husband of Naruto Namikaze, Sentence Released due to prison error._

 _Sasuke Namikaze, apparently intersex, and apparently pregnant while on trial._

 _Search for Ino Yamanaka ignites after the woman shows in Tokyo and attempts to kill Sasuke Namikaze._

Trying to eliminate those thoughts, the raven turned to his bedside, where the dresser stood high and proud. He noticed the new mail as well as Saku's newly printed Koseki.

Picking up the Koseki, he read aloud so that his little one could hear.

" _Name: Saku Saitama Namikaze_

 _Date of Birth: December 20, 2004_

 _Mother: Sasuke Namikaze_

 _Father: Naruto Namikaze_

 _Registered residence:_ _141-0022 Tōkyō-to, Shinagawa-ku, Higashi Gotanda, 5 Chome−16−6_

Sasuke looked up with a smile toward his son only to find the baby still sleeping soundly. He smiled sheepishly in return and turned to read over the birth certificate once more. His eyes stopping at Shinagawa-ku. The place was a nice place to live and raise a family, but Sasuke was sure it was expensive. How much did Naruto pay for it? Was this where they would be living permanently? Had Oji and Naruto already moved in their things? The questions were running through his head like a high-speed train. With a soft smile, the man shook his head. Naruto would return soon. He could ask him then.

Checking over the dresser once more, the man's eyes widened at the large envelope addressed to him from Nagasaki University. He grabbed it instantly and tore the thing open. When he saw a delicate frame on the printed paper, Sasuke gaped and began to tear more gently. There were three sheets in there: two diplomas and an official transcript. He read the first diploma.

On the recommendation of the faculty of the school of law, Nagasaki University has deferred the degree of Bachelor of Science (Political Science) upon Sasuke Uchiha, who has honorably fulfilled all requirements prescribed by the university for that degree. Done at Nagasaki, Japan this seventh day of June, the year two thousand and four A.D.

There was another degree for English and his full transcript where his minor in Philosophy had been confirmed. Sasuke blinked softly. What had it all be for? He asked himself. Why did it make him want to cry?

"What's wrong?" The sound of Naruto's life-saving voice made him look up, his broken eyes blinking just enough to let the flood reign down. The blond stood by the door, a soft frown on his face, Neji and Oji behind him looking on, pondering if they should come in.

Sasuke smiled, making his onslaught of silent tears look crazy. "Nothing. I just got my degrees today. It really feels like a dream. Staying up all night to finish a paper; running across campus so I wouldn't be late; working late shifts to pay off my loans. It's crazy how I could finally start to see things coming together after I thought they were falling apart."

Naruto moved in, coming to his bedside and bending down to wipe his face. "Of course it would be like that, Sas. Anata wa sūpāhīrōdesu."

Sasuke's eyes wavered to the peacefully sleeping baby in the corner. "I know. It just feels so surreal and long awaited. I thought I would think nothing of it when I got it, but….three years." He turned to his grandfather. "Three years, Oji? Isn't that something."

Oji smiled, the place where his missing nostril would be scrunching up with the lips. "Three years of hard work; listening to you cry on the phone about how it was hard. Yes, I recall. But you are strong, Sasuke. Just like me." The man smiled softly and wiped his eyes. "You are. You survived everything you thought would kill you." Oji took a seat by the bed, patting the one nearby for the very silent and very observant Neji. "I knew since you were younger that your life would be tough. But, when I look at you, I notice that you can cover your wounds, unlike me. But thank God you don't look like what you've been through."

When he turned again, Naruto was already smiling at him. Sheepishly, Omo said, "I really do love you."

"Me? You really love me?"

"Of course. You're the part of me I'll always need."

"Really?"

"Really."

"That's enough, you two." Sasuke turned with a smile when he heard Sai's monotone voice. "Your family doesn't want to see you being all lovey-dovey." But there was a small smile on his face that made Sasuke smile even brighter.

However, before he could even reply to his bedside friend, Neji's harsh voice sounded around the room, startling everyone, including Saku's whose lips puckered and sucked in. "Really. We don't."

Sasuke's head turned to the side and his eyes filled with concern. "Neji, are you alright?"

"Yeah." The response wasn't actually a response. In fact, Neji sounded really bitter about something. But Sasuke just rolled his eyes because he knew his friend would be stubborn until he wasn't. He turned back to Naruto with a soft smile, ready to show him Saku's birth certificate, but the blond man was staring at Neji intensely.

He stood abruptly, his chair scraping against the clean tile floor. "Let me speak with you outside, Neji-san."

Neji's lips wrinkled into a frown. "I'm fine where I am."

Naruto walked out, saying with harshness "it wasn't a question."

He sat defiantly for a moment before sighing in resolve. Looking to Sasuke for help, the raven shrugged with an 'I told you so' look. "I told you about that attitude around him."

Neji rolled his eyes, but stood anyway, listening to his best friends soft giggles as he left.

When he was outside, Naruto closed the door to skew the conversation away from Sasuke's eyes. Sasuke smiled softly at his grandfather and put his feet over the side of the bed. "Would you like to see Saku?"

Oji nodded enthusiastically and followed the man to Saku's resting tube. They smiled down at the baby who was until now undeterred by the speech of his family. Saku's eyes were dark like Sasuke's, since the raven's eye color and hair color was more dominant, and he stared up at them in curiosity.

Sasuke cooed and awwed. "Hi there, cutie. I'm your mommy and this is your great-grandfather, Reo-Oji." he bent down and rubbed his son's cheeks and the baby moved his arms around a little, obviously flustered at his new sense of feel. "You are so beautiful and precious. Definitely worth the wait. I can't wait until I can hold you again and dress you in little clothes for your little feet." His fingers bristled across Saku's feet and the baby smiled big enough for his toothless gums to show. "Aww."

"When can we hold him."

"His temperature should his 98 in a few hours and then he'll be out of this thing for good. And then I can try breastfeeding him."

Reo nodded. Having raised Sasuke, he had known that in theory, men were perfectly capable of breastfeeding, whether they were intersex or not. Male breasts had milk ducts and some mammary tissue. They also had oxytocin and prolactin, the hormones responsible for milk production. So yes, Sasuke could breastfeed and Reo was sure the man was very happy about that.

The door opened once more and in walked Naruto with Neji behind him. The Hyuga looked a little more solemn as he strutted in, his arms crossed. When he caught Sasuke's eyes, he smiled, however, and Sasuke smiled too.

"Naruto, come look at Saku's little smile. Sai, do you think you can stand?"

The doctor looked over himself and nodded. Carefully, he pushed his legs to the side and stood, wobbling due to the disuse of the limbs. "Yeah, I'm good."

As he walked over, Naruto took the time to peer at Saku as the infant peered back curiously. From what he knew so far, Saku was intelligent. He knew something was wrong with his mother and he had latched onto him, comforting him until Naruto got there. Slowly, unaware of Sasuke's soft prideful smile, the blond nudged Saku's cheek. "Supaman." He whispered. He gaped when Saku's smile, as pretty as his mother's, lit up the room.

Sai looked too. "Now that's what I call a ray of sunshine. A smile doesn't get any brighter than that. Happy kid." He claimed. And then he hummed in realization. "His name's Saku Saitama Namikaze? Has a nice ring to it."

* * *

Shikamaru waited outside of the Mohammed home patiently. He didn't know what they were doing, but Naruto had requested that the three show to the hospital together. Sighing, he watched Sha walk out first, his face showing surprise when there was no evidence of the occasional facial bruise.

Sha smiled softly at him, but it was a shy smile like it pained her to see him or something. "Bolade is changing. e should be out an' in a few minutes."

Shikamaru nodded without uttering a word. He noticed Sha was standing a distance away from him and hadn't really looked at him. Ever since the story about Ino Yamanaka, the two hadn't seen each other much. They didn't talk much. They weren't making love anymore. And fucking shit, it pained Shikamaru Nara because he loved her.

"How…" hesitant. "How have you been Sha? I haven't spoken to you in a while."

"Fine." She uttered. "I've been fine."

"Liar." He whispered.

She turned to look at him then. "Do you wememba' when we wa' seventeen and Bolade was cheating on me with those women?"

How could Shikamaru forget? Back in Nigeria, Sha was married off at just 13 to a man ten years older than her. Bolade had been respectful, however, and vowed not to touch her until she was ready. But he was a man when they moved to Japan. He couldn't be fucking the cows on the farm they ran, so he went with prostitutes. He remembered Sha being so afraid to take the marriage to another level and he remembered Sha believing that she was flawed. Disgusting. Undesirable. But Shikamaru had told her differently. Shikamaru had made love to her and told her that she wasn't flawed. She was beautiful and the reason Bolade went to cheat was because he couldn't help himself around Sha.

"How could I forget?"

"You told me I was your first. I had told you I was afraid because I never did that before, but you…" she stopped herself and looked away. "Even though your name wasn't stated, we all knew Ino's confession letter was for you. And she talked about when you two were together. I need to know…" she trailed, not finishing. But Shikamaru Nara and Sha Mohammed had a connection. She didn't need to find because he knew.

And with regret, he spoke. "I was involved with Ino during the time I was with you. And...and she was my first. Not you."

If Sha was unhappy about the claim, she never showed it. Instead, she just asked silently. "So you did care for her? Once? Like she wrote?"

"Once. But to be honest, the only person I really cared about was Naruto. He was my best friend and we had a business to-"

"How could you lie to me?" She asked, turning to him. "How could you lie to me? How could you even tell me those things and then wun off to ha? Is it because you pitied me?"

"What? No, Sha. It wasn't like that?"

He could see her chocolate eyes melting. "Then what was it like? What was it like to do that?"

"I was involved with Ino before I met you, Sha. And when I met you, there was nothing or no one in the world that could convince me we didn't belong together."

"But you we'e still with Ino while spilling these lies to me. It's almost like cheating."

Shikamaru's brows went down. "Cheating?" He nearly hissed. "Sha. You were involved with Bolade when we met. You've been cheating for God knows how long."

Her eyes filled. "I fell in love with you because you helped me through my times with B. It's vewy different."

"How is it, Sha?" He hissed, his words taking him where they shouldn't sail. "Because the only reason I was still fucking Ino is because I couldn't be with you all the time. Because you were too scared to leave a man that was fucking beating you, tearing you apart."

His words were harsh and Shikamaru gaped before Sha even got the chance to. He moved forward. "Sha…."

The door opened. Bolade smiled at Shikamaru as he walked down the steps. Sha got into the car.

The drive to the hospital was mostly silent besides Shikamaru and Bolade talking about what Naruto would do when he found Ino. It was no question the man wanted her dead and having a baby wasn't enough to stop his bloodthirsty warpath.

Shikamaru had ideas, but with the love of his life sitting quietly in the backseat, her eyes watching the outside, he just wanted to leave the subject alone although.

He had hurt her feelings; made her look like some kind of weak woman who was getting beat. He had mocked her struggles and called her a coward. And really, he felt like any man who had looked at Sha and saw nothing but slender legs. He didn't deserve her.

When they first arrived at the hospital, it was quiet, and B was the first to leave the car, muttering something about how he would love the child. Sha was next and she watched her husband move up to the doors before straightening her clothes. Once she began walking, Shikamaru grabbed at her arm. "Sha." He began apologetically.

The woman snatched her arm away which seemed to be a bad idea by the wince she let out.

Shikamaru stared from her eyes to her arms. "What's he been doing to yo-"

"Leave it." She hissed. "Let me be sca'ed alone."

* * *

Sasuke smiled when the nurse put Saku into his arms. Everyone awwed when the baby curled into him instantly, his tiny red hands clutching the man's chest.

"He is so cute." The man expressed. "He's got my hair and eyes and nose. And Naruto's little lips."

Naruto sighed at his husband's exaggeration. "Sasuke pleas-"

Karin awwed, intervening her cousin. "Naruto had these little lips when he was younger that made it look like he was always pouting. Betsy-basan called him piglet because of how sensitive he was."

"Karin, th-" the blond stopped abruptly, his eyes going to Sha who had been smirking at him. He sighed eventually. There was no use when Sasuke was so excited. "Yeah. She did." He smiled softly.

Sasuke gaped and laughed when Saku too opened his mouth wide. What a smart baby. "From Winnie the Pooh? Aww. That's his nickname. We're calling him Piglet."

Naruto laughed.

"Naruto, come hold him. He wants to see you." Standing, he moved over to the man on the bed. With carefulness, they transferred the baby from Sasuke's arms to his.

"Suppo't his head."

"I am, Sha." He smiled softly. But he did adjust his son so that the child at least looked more comfortable. "I am."

He watched the child. "Wow. You really are cute." The baby finally smiled big. "And an obvious replica of your mother. Loving the attention, I see."

"Hey! Fuc-"

" _Sasuke…"_

"Hn. Sorry, Oji. I do not reel in attention."

Naruto smirked at the man. "Not even mine?"

Sasuke laughed. "That's different, you jerk. Your attention is different. I _like_ your attention."

Naruto smiled down at the baby. "You've heard it here first. You're cute like your mother and your mother loves when I watch him."

And then something unexpected happened. The baby tried rolling toward Naruto's chest to get even closer. And when he finally succeeded, he clutched the man's jacket and held on for dear life, trying to tell his father that he was loved too.

"Oh?" Blue eyes half-lidded and dazed when the baby looked up at him with soft eyes. "Yeah, kid. I'm really starting to love you too."

"Aww. Naruto come lay down with me. And let's cradle him on our chests." it was obvious Sasuke had been feeling very lovey-dovey all day. And that was to be expected. He loved his child with his life.

"I'm sure that's against hospital policy," Neji muttered.

Sasuke looked at him for the longest moment, his face impassive. "And?" He asked innocently.

"Sasuke." Neji sputtered incredulously.

Bolade shook his head with a laugh. "Psycho." He muttered. And Naruto laughed too, deep and rambunctious. Enough to shake Saku and make the baby laugh too.

Sasuke gasped. "His first laugh." Turning to Sha, he smiled. "Sha. That was his first laugh."

* * *

 _Two weeks later_

 _Shinagawa-ku_

 _Tokyo, Japan_

The house Naruto bought was definitely a luxury. It was a single family home with a nice pool outside the living room. It had six bedrooms, three bathrooms, and one-half bathroom. The house looked very modern to their day. On the outside, it was a tan and burnt orange of brick and Sasuke just couldn't wait to see what was on the inside.

"Naruto." He muttered as the blond came up next to him with a bag full of Saku's things. He snorted when he looked at his husband.

Sha had given them so many beautifully rectangular pieces of cotton fabric with cute patterns. They were called "iro." And she taught them how to wrap Saku on their backs so that it would be easy to carry him. Saku's little hands were inside the iro until his back was stronger for him to keep them out.

Usually, in the Yoruba of Nigeria, it was the woman who carried the babies. Or in their case, Sasuke. But since Sasuke's ribs were still healing from his fall, Naruto decided to 'back the baby.'

Saku was so cute. Inside the iro, his mother could see his little hands balled against Naruto's suit. Just like the side of his face as he slept soundly against his father.

Naruto carried the baby on his back proudly. Naruto, who was the Lord of Japan. Naruto, the kingpin who sold drugs and dealt with people the way he needed to. Naruto, who was Ōmo.

Sasuke giggled. Naruto raised a brow. "What?"

"I can't take you seriously with him on your back. What I meant to ask was how much was this home?"

"¥1 billion yen." The response was nonchalant as if the words didn't really matter to him. "I figured you would like it."

Sasuke blinked slowly. He had never once in his life dreamed of obtaining that kind of money just to spend it so quickly. "I do like it. I just never thought it would be that much." His dark eyes caught the sight of something in the back, the same color as the home. "What's that?"

Naruto smiled. "That, beautiful, is a guest. Filled with two bathrooms and three bedrooms."

Reo, who had been formerly silent, spoke up behind them, a bright smile on his face. "Otherwise known as my new home."

Sasuke pouted. "Are you sure you don't want to be in the main house? You won't be a bother at all."

"That's fine, Sasuke. I'm an old man and I need my privacy more than anything. I'd also like you to learn from this experience with Saku-kun."

"Okay." Sasuke turned back to the nice home, a small smile lighting his face. He was so excited to start a life here. With his husband and son. So happy, he couldn't contain it. "Okay. Let's go inside and set up. I don't want Piglet to get sick."

The inside of the house was beautiful. No….Sasuke couldn't describe it like that. He had no words to describe it actually. Naruto had bought the house earlier and had every room already set up. The kitchen was extravagant, making the raven want to stay in there forever. The living room was beautiful. So was their room and Saku's nursery.

He smiled as Naruto put the baby in his crib, leaning down and poking his stomach and kissing his tiny head, and came back out the room. "I really love him." He whispered. And the love was so deep that his voice broke outside that baby's door. The love was so strong that he really wanted to cry. And for what? Almost losing Saku? Almost losing himself? He let Naruto hold him with a heavy grip.

"Don't you cry when you're down, Sasuke." He whispered.

"Naruto." He whispered, his voice muffled by his husband's clothing.

"Yeah."

"You're a really good father."

Naruto tensed because for a while, he forgot that he actually was a father. Just like Maso Namikaze once was. Just like Minato Namikaze was.

* * *

 _Kabukicho, Tokyo_

 _1988_

 _His father, Maso Namikaze, was a Marine. He had grown up in the home of a soldier and as the oldest triplet, more was expected out of him then it was for his younger brothers, Misaji and Madoka. It was the way he grew up, even if Maso, after the bomb, was lighter on his children._

 _Minato Namikaze never saw it like that. He felt like he needed to be the best of the best. And when he had a son to call his own, he was going to make sure Naruto would be the best of the best in anything._

 _Practicing with swords; fist fighting; sports. Whatever it was, Minato was going to make Naruto the best at it. He watched the boy punch the bag strongly. And then he watched the bag come back and knock the boy on his ass._

 _Sighing, the man stood. "This is getting pathetic. You're getting too old to not stop the bag. Do you want me to trade your lessons for Karin's?"_

 _The boy turned quickly, his small body almost tipping over with the weight of the boxing gloves. "No!"_

" _Then step it up!" Naruto flinched back. "Look at you! You can't even handle me yelling at you! You will never be more than what you are, boy!"_

 _His son, with as much fire in him, growled. "Yes, I will! I'll be ten times better than I am today! You'll see! I'm going to rule this entire country! You'll see! No one's going to stop me!"_

 _Minato closed his eyes and put his head down, a soft smirk enough to make his son stop and stare in bewilderment and confusion. "Hm. You better." He muttered._

 _Naruto smiled softly. "I will."_

 _Naruto's father was the son of a marine. He had a tough love sort of thing with anyone he met. He demanded a lot from Naruto, always expected him to be bigger than the world. And anything Naruto ever did was never enough. But still, he called him his father because, without him, he wouldn't be there._

* * *

Naruto squeezed his husband tight. "Thank you," he whispered. He moved back only a little so that he could smile at Sasuke. "Kami, I love you."

* * *

 _Mohammed Household_

 _Tokyo, Japan_

 _January 3, 2005_

Sha Mohammed's secrets were sweet. Kept inside a small box in her heart, they lay, still as the ocean. Inside the box were secrets that she had folded long ago, vowing to never open it again.

But, alas it was to no avail. One of the secrets was Sha's bravery, forgotten like a bad dream in a troubled sleep. Once, Sha had taken her ability to face and endure danger; her ability to stand up against fear; and she placed it in a box she vowed to never open again.

But she couldn't take it. The verbal abuse, the non-consensual sex; the pain. She didn't want it anymore. Shikamaru said it himself. She was a coward. And she didn't want to be anymore.

Bolade was sitting sideways on the couch, one strong arm slung over the back, the other holding a cigarette. Upon seeing his wife standing there, her fist balled, he raised a brow. "Why are you standing there like that? kini aṣiṣe?"

With no hesitation, Sha spoke up, Staring him down like the bastard he really was. "I want a divo'ce." the words were sudden and when Bolade almost dropped his cigarette and turned his head sharply, she knew there was no turning back. The forest was before her now and the only way through was stepping on the sharp twigs barefooted.

"What did you say?"

The breath she let out stuttered, like wind smacking into the leaves and dying out by each impact. "I'm leaving you. I want...to be appy. I cannot stay with you becaoze you a't me. you a' nothing like the man I met yeaws ago."

Bolade leaned forward and put out the cancer stick, a smug smile on his face. As if he couldn't believe the idiot inside her mind. "I want you to take ten seconds and think about what you're saying Sweet Lips."

Sha inhaled. "You beat me ev'y week. You ide my scaws. You tell me I'm not beautiful and make me feel unwanted. You cheat on me with diffa'nt women and make me feel like I'm flawed. So I want to leave you so that we can be appy. I don't want to go through this with you anymo."

Despite how tough she did sound, Bolade laughed. He laughed heartily because whatever she was doing, whoever she was, it was funny to him. It had always been. "And where will you go? Who will you be? You're _nothing_ without me, Sha. What's gotten to your head…" He stopped abruptly. And his next question had taken away all the bravery she had. With venom in his eyes, and bane on his tongue he hissed. "Who are _fucking_ that's putting this in your head, huh? Who's touching you and making you think you're more than what you are, bitch?"

"No one."

He laughed again. "Must be someone. You're not leaving, Sha." He stood and moved a little closer. "You're not leaving because your mine. And you'll be nothing. You can't leave me unless you're in a body bag." The man leaned down and kissed her softly. Moving his head, Bolade hummed when he smelled her neck.

"Aaahhh!" She screamed. His teeth had gone through her skin deeply and the two stumbled around the living room. Bolade's teeth still in her neck; his hand around her throat. Sha stumbled trying her hardest to hurt him. She punched and scratched, but Bolade was strong. He was always strong and that was something Sha once admired about him.

They fell into the glass table, Sha going back first into the expensive glass. Bolade laughed and pinned her down, hitting her in the face repeatedly to weaken her.

"Stop!" She screamed. "Stop! Let me go!"

Bolade complied. Standing over her, he drug Sha away from the shattered glass. Standing over her, the man began to unbuckle his pants. He glared down at her. "Who's fucking you, Sha? They better than me?"

The woman sat up in a heap, now trying to move back. She didn't care about the sting in her back, nor did she care for the remnants of glass getting into her palm. She didn't want this. She hated this side of him. "No please." She whispered, to broken to break even more. "I don't want that. Please."

Bolade pulled down his pants and pulled her back over. "Take your clothes off, Sha. I want to see if you're still tight."

Tears left her eyes, but she didn't move an inch. "I am." She tried reassuring him. "I sweaw I am, B."

"I want to make sure."

"Please."

She fought him hard. She fought as hard as she could not to let her husband hurt her, but her hard-as-she-could was not hard enough. Not even close. And she was soon lying down on the floor with him on top of her panting and sweating, having lost his mind in the struggle. She was so alive then. And she thought it was the worst thing in the world to be lying flat on her back with a sweating man on top of her. To be trapped inside the earth and not even an ounce of bravery to just end it all.

He kissed his wet lips down her body. He was grunting. He was inside her. And Sha could do nothing, but say "Please don't."

* * *

She stayed on the floor when her husband had gone to take a shower and get dressed. What could she do? She had asked Allah for strength, but he had tucked away into himself, ashamed that he had given Sha a life that, as it was turning out, she couldn't handle.

The sound of footsteps didn't even make her tense up as they used too. Bolade bent down besides her and stroked her face. "Kisame thinks he spotted Ino about several cities from here with the bodyguard that she paid to leave Sasuke. We're going to go check it out. And I would like you to clean yourself up, please."

Sha nodded, her eyes never leaving his.

"Tell me you love me, Sha."

She cleared her throat. "I love you," she whispered.

"Good."

* * *

 _Nara Household_

 _Tokyo, Japan_

 _January 3, 2005_

His mansion is lonely. It always was. Shikamaru Nara had money, fame, and power around Japan. They called him Machiavelli because he was more than just a hitman. He was an advisor; the best friend of Naruto 'Omo' Namikaze. Shikamaru was power too.

But what did it matter when he couldn't even be with the one he loved? When had he hurt her? She had been cheated on and lied to, broken badly by the people she knew. She had trust issues. She flinched a lot. She had been hurt. Sha wasn't lucky to have him because she was strong by herself. But sitting, smoking his lungs out enough to kill him at two in the morning, Shikamaru started to realized he was the lucky one.

 _Pretty._ That was the first thought in his mind when he had seen Sha for the first time. She was quiet, but when she spoke, everyone listened to her. She had those really dark eyes that made Shikamaru feel different.

Sha had been standing by the porch while Bolade was inside. Naruto had drug his friend to their well and they were cleaning it, but Shikamaru remembered stopping every once in a while to look at Sha and look away when she saw.

"Why are you looking at me?"

And Naruto and Shikamaru had looked up. He was dazed; her lips were held in a tight frown, but her eyes showed confusion. Shikamaru smiled on his couch remembering what he thought at that moment. _Holy fuck, she's gorgeous._ He had tilted his head. "Huh?"

And Naruto had rolled his eyes at his best friend. "You've been staring at her this whole time. For someone smart, you really are an idiot."

Sha had laughed softly and Shikamaru vowed to get his friend back for this. Instead, he had rubbed the back of his neck with a soft blush. "I'm sorry." He told Sha. "You're just really pretty."

And he remembered Naruto groaning in utter embarrassment and Sha had laughed softly, still amused at the boys' relationship with one another and Shikamaru Nara's flushed cheeks.

And somehow, they made it work.

Shikamaru sighed. They did. They made it work through everything. Through the abuse. Through the lies. Through the miscarriage. Through the abortions. Through everything.

"Goddammit." He stood. He couldn't do it. He couldn't _not_ see Sha for a whole week. He just…. They had a connection. Not so much total opposites but there was no one in the world better for him.

Ino couldn't give him what Sha provided. Sha was the dream beneath the persimmon tree. Soft like silk and coarse as the seas. Sha was the love of his life and life of his heart.

And he felt guilty. Even if Sha was always involved with Bolade, she felt wrong about it. Like she was hurting her husband and like she couldn't give Shikamaru all that he wanted.

And for a time that was true. Shikamaru had run off to Ino and Karin and so many other women because he hated that he couldn't have Sha all to himself. And so he was spiteful. _She can't have me all to herself either_.

The man's phone lit up and the raven opened a text from Bolade; two actually. One an hour before and one now.

 _1:02 We got Ino. Naruto and Sasuke are on their way to this location. Naruto needs you in because Sha won't be here._

 _1:58 Lazy asshole. :)_

The Nara contemplated going to help out his best friend. But then he figured, like her life, Ino's death shouldn't matter either. With Saku being a new edition to the cartel and their close know family, this was the beginning of a new era. A new era for Naruto as a father. Sasuke as he dwelled deeper into the cartel life. Ino as her reign finally came to an end. And him as he was finally beginning to grow.

The man grabbed his keys, only one place in mind. He was going to show Sha he loved her, even if it killed him.

"I'm coming, Kawaī on'nanoko."

* * *

 _Namikaze household_

Sasuke yawned as he poured himself some tea, listening carefully to the cries of his son, who was in his arms.

Naruto had changed his diaper and fed him, and all the infant needed were soft arms and the steady heart to put him back to sleep.

"It's okay." He shushed to the chubby thing. "Shh. I'm here. It's okay, piglet."

And it may have been a bad time, but Sasuke thought the baby was so cute when he cried. His nose was scrunched up and his face was red and no tears left. True to his nickname, those little lips held the world's pout.

"It's okay. Who's a little Piglet? I know; it's you." He cooed and rocked the baby. Saku stopped crying only to look at him, small whimpers being the only conversation between them. When Sasuke smiled big, the baby grabbed hold of him and began crying again, trying to grow even closer. "Aww, piglet." And now Sasuke was pouting himself.

"Come here, Sasuke?"

The raven looked up, finding his husband by the doorway a wet towel around his neck. Sasuke went immediately, gently handing him the baby.

"It's alright, Saku. Daddy's got you." His voice isn't as flowy as Sasuke's. It's baritone and coarse and the words come out like an army command instead of a soft boat. But still, Saku clutches the man for comfort, still crying and wailing loudly. Naruto sighed. "Don't you cry when you're down." He whispered.

Sasuke smiled, grabbing his husband's open hand and leading him back upstairs into the open door of Saku's nursery. There's an ivory couch in there, just in case, Naruto said, one of them wanted to stay with the child overnight.

Really, it's for Sasuke, who can't even go near the stairs without clutching his stomach as if the baby that isn't there anymore will get hurt. Sasuke, who has anxiety just looking at those stairs. Sasuke, who was afraid that Saku would die.

"Maybe we should both try to comfort him?" The raven muttered. And they did try. Naruto sat on the couch first, his arms open for Sasuke to sit any way he liked.

Sasuke gripped Saku to his chest and lay sideways, his back on Naruto's chest as he breathed softly, whispering the sweetest things Naruto had ever heard to their son.

Twenty minutes later, Saku Namikaze was asleep and Sasuke was on the verge of it too. Naruto chuckled, wiping slob from the corner of Sasuke's mouth. These boys were his.

His phone lit up and he grabbed it. It was from Bolade.

 _Kisame found Ino. There's going to be a meeting tonight between her and that Camui bastard._

Naruto sneered lightly. The cunning Queen-Pin and the traitorous prison guard.

Harshly, the man sent a quick reply. _Get Shikamaru._ His brow dropped at the mention of his lazy friend. _If he's up. I'm on my way. Send me the location and stay on her._

The blond kissed Sasuke's forehead and the man's eyes opened slightly. He smiled at Naruto and then he looked to Saku, who was finally in the dream.

Gently, he stood, placing the boy in his crib before smiling at Naruto. But Naruto's face was serious. "What's wrong?" He whispered.

Naruto sighed. "Give me an hour, alright. I have to take care of something."

"What?"

He eyed the man. "Ino. We found Ino."

Sasuke blinked before walking out of the room in a hurry. "I'll get my jacket."

"What? Sasuke, no."

The raven scowled. "I deserve to be a part of this as much as you, if not more."

"That's not what I mean, Sas. What about Saku? No one's here for him."

"We have more trusted guards. And Oji is always up at this time. I'll go get him. He won't mind."

"Sasu-"

"Naruto." The shorter man warned. "I'm going to get my jacket."

The blond shut up instantly, letting Sasuke go. He rubbed his head. What kind of demon did Sasuke want to be?

* * *

Sha grunted as she sat up, as a sharp sting in her hips making her yelp in pain.

She couldn't believe her husband had rap- the word made bile rise in her throat and she already had a mess to clear. So she held it in like a champ.

"Sha." The woman flinched when she heard his voice. Why was Shikamaru here? What more did he want? How much more could they hurt her?

The sound of his feet stepping on the remains of the glass table made her flinch as they got closer and closer.

"Oh Kami, Sha!"

* * *

"Alright, Yamanaka," Camui muttered. "I played a part in your little film, now it's time you pay up."

Ino watched him with her sharp eyes. "And the movie got a bad rating." She hissed, angrier at herself than anything. "Psycho lived and so did that fucking baby. And I just know Ōmo's after me."

"Oh yeah? What does this have to do with me? So you failed and didn't kill him. I made sure to kill the other guard and I never showed up for the shift. I did my job whether you failed or not. So pay up. ¥3 mil-"

Death isn't what people like to create legends about. It isn't a demon preying on the weak souls. It isn't a hooded man with a scythe coming to collect what is rightfully his. Death isn't a legend at all. It's a moment. A single moment in time between what is there and what is gone.

And seeing the bullet fly straight through Camui's head in that warehouse made Ino realize that. One moment is enough to tell one about a single life.

The woman backed away in slight terror as she looked around. She followed where the bullet had come from.

The man holding the gun was the same man she had pushed down the stairs. She never even thought the little intersex had it in him. To kill someone so suddenly with a heavy revolver.

"Don't move, Ino." he smiled softly.

She stood stiffly then and smirked at him. "Finally coming to kill me? Took you awhile."

Psycho shook his head. "I don't want to kill you. But I know someone who's been itching to kill you."

She laughed maniacally as other men and women of the cartel began to move from the warehouse's shadow. "Naruto?! Really? He couldn't kill me for three years."

Sasuke said nothing, only turned his head. "Bring it." He muttered. Ino watched, still laughing, as someone in the dark handed Sasuke two heavy chains.

"What's that, intersex?" She mocked.

Instantaneously, several loud barks erupted the silence that hung so heavily over them. Ino's blood ran cold as the chains were yanked. She stared. Stared for a long time. The dog that had taken her finger in the prison home. He was there, barking, snarling, trying to get at her although Sasuke held the chain tight.

Then it was his turn to smile maniacally as Naruto stepped into the light.

"This is Koshaku. He likes to be called Duke. This is Joō, who likes to be called queen. Their both pleased to meet your acquaintance."

* * *

"Sha," Shikamaru muttered, bending down by her. A flash of hurt left his eyes when she scooted away with ferocity.

"Don't touch me."

His head tilted. "Sha. What happened here?"

"Nothing."

The Nara looked around at the obvious remains of the fight between Bolade and his wife. And then his eyes caught sight of her underwear, torn by the glass. He looked back at her, saw the blood between her thighs. Then at her torn shirt.

And his eyes welled because God, why did it always happen when he wasn't with her? "Sha." He whispered.

She hugged herself and put her knees up. "I'm fine." She whispered. "I can't feel anything. I don't remember it. I'm fine. So it doesn't matter. I'm fine."

"I'm not, Sha."

She looked up, tears and confusion clear in those beautiful eyes. And she cried.

* * *

Koshaku tore her apart the most. Each time Ino screamed, he chomped down on her more and more, making the sound of her bones cracking echo throughout the warehouse.

Ino's screamed were drowned out as Joō shook her leg between her teeth.

"Aaahh! Help me! They're tearing me apart!"

Naruto grimaced in disgust when Koshaku's strong grip pulled her arm off. And they watched her get torn apart, screaming in agony, dying not a quick painless death, but a slow harsh one.

Sasuke giggled when his dog looked up at him as if asking if she were doing a good job. Getting tired of Ino's scream, the raven looked at Naruto and nodded.

"Joō! Koshaku!" The dogs ceased, hovering over Ino's body as they stared at Sasuke. "Come." They did, quickly, marching up to Sasuke like soldiers. Koshaku tried licking him, but the man put up a finger.

"No." He commanded. Koshaku whimpered and the raven smiled, bending down. "It's okay. You did good, boy. But you have to clean your mouth and brush your teeth first. That shit's disgusting."

Behind them, Bolade had shaken his head in amusement. "Damn psycho." He whispered.

Sasuke looked back at the indistinguishable body. And Sasuke knew, he would forget her like a bad dream.

* * *

 **Japanese words used here:**

Anata wa sūpāhīrōdesu means "You are a superhero."

Kawaī on'nanoko means "pretty/cute girl." It's Shikamaru's nickname for Sha.

 **Yoruba words used here:**

kini aṣiṣe translates to "What's wrong?"

 **Boy is the title. It has no relation to the appearance, origin, or cultural effect of Cocaine. It is simply a purely deceptive name. Boy in this chapter is to show Saku's impact on the cartel.**

 **It's to show that it has no impact. The birth of Saku does not stop the killing, unfortunately. It doesn't stop Sha's abuse. It doesn't stop Naruto bloodthirst. But only intensifies the violence.**

 **But we see Shikamaru grow as a person and come to terms with having a relationship with Sha.**

 **And holy shit…..Sasuke killed two people.**

 **Because it really is the beginning of an era.**

 **Next chapter, we learn more about our characters. :0**

 **Also, please review and stay with me here.**


	12. Society High

**Society High**

 **Hello friends, before we begin what do you say we recap a few of our important characters. Here, I'll be sure to put their cartel nicknames in and explain why they have them.**

 **Naruto "Ōmo" Namikaze: Born into a poor family on October 11, 1983. Naruto grew up in a poor district of Tokyo called Kabukichō, an actual red light district in Tokyo and home to the Yakuza crime syndicate. As a soft-spoken and scrawny child, he battled not fitting in, bullies at home and school, and most importantly his hard loving father. At the age of 11, Naruto chose to kill Kiba, a classmate, for money and power. And really, that's where it began. After that, he involved himself in crimes, creating a bigger name for himself until finally, the name Lord was enough. Naruto runs Japan like God runs the world. Controlling the media, the police, eliminating a full court, having his husband live well while serving a sentence is only the beginning of his power.**

 **Sasuke "Psycho/Felony" Namikaze: Born as a handsome baby boy on July 23, 1984, and again as an Intersex in 1997, Sasuke was raised by a Nagasaki Bombing survivor. Growing up, the Uchiha felt out of place with himself due to his body and out of place with society because of how his grandfather was treated. A smart child, Sasuke was a top student at Nagasaki University with a double major and a minor. As an aspiring Civil Rights lawyer, Sasuke wants justice for everyone. His best friends are Sha Mohammed and Neji Hyūga. Sasuke is called Psycho due to his uncaring mood when it comes to killing someone he hates or even being bold around people. He doesn't need anyone's opinion because as he said: "I have my own." He's willing to do time for Naruto and won't have it any other way. Another alias he's gained is Felony. Just saying, this won't be the last time Sasuke does jail time.**

 **Sha "Sweet lips/Widow Maker" Mohammed: Sha may be the wife of one of Naruto's most trusted hitmen, but she's got dirt beneath her nails too. Even if she's married, Sha is independent, strong enough to become one of Naruto's "Capos," or Captains. The toughest captain of the cartel, Sha runs the drug running streets down to the falcons, soldiers, and dealers themselves. Other than that, Sha is very likable. Sasuke loved her immediately and now she's almost like his mentor to the game, telling him all about the things that go on. Naruto too has a deep relationship with Sha that went as far as keeping her and Shikamaru hidden before Sasuke let them. Because like the Uchiha said, Sha and Shikamaru were things Naruto wanted to keep inside because of how precious they were. Shikamaru is downright smitten with Sha, but the woman has trouble with her own life. Sha is known to be the most beautiful woman in the cartel, and so they call her sweet lips.**

 **Shikamaru "Machiavelli" Nara: Shikamaru is called Machiavelli because he isn't just a simple hitman. He's got more jobs to the cartel than anyone besides Naruto. He's Naruto's right-hand man. Growing up with Naruto, we still have yet to actually know more about his past. Shikamaru has a big thing for women in this fic, even if it isn't that obvious. As stated, he really loves Sha. But there was a time when he was into just fooling around, not only with Ino but Karin and other women as well. Other than Sha, Shikamaru is very close to Naruto; up to a point where he feels that Naruto is the real thing important to him. There's more to their relationship than meets the eye and there are many more chapters to explore that.**

 **Bolade "Killer B" Mohammed: husband to Sha and friend to Naruto. They call him Killer B because he's responsible for more deaths than Shikamaru. Even Naruto lost count of kills. No one knows about the things he does to his wife besides Shikamaru. And he doesn't know that. Bolade has more to be explored about him. Will he change? Will he find out about the affair? Will Naruto find out about him beating Sha?**

 **Karin "Widow" Namikaze: Naruto's brash cousin is known as widow in the cartel business. Hal isn't the only ex that died by her hands. And Karin's so unpredictable that he may not be the last. Karin isn't as tough as Nagato or Naruto, but Naruto swears that "the toughest guy on my team is that girl." Sha may be a widowmaker, but Karin is a Namikaze, the most dangerous family in Japan.**

 **Nagato "bullet" Namikaze: named for the remaining shrapnel in his brain, Nagato is the backbone of the family. He's protective of Naruto since the blond was always quiet and tries his best to keep Karin out of trouble. Nagato is the only child of the trio that graduated high school and went to college. That doesn't make him any less brutal.**

* * *

 _Namikaze household_

 _January 5, 2005_

Naruto groaned softly at the weight on his back. It wasn't heavy, but the blond was sore from the past few days.

"Ah"

He tensed rapidly, his back going rigid in the morning light. Turning to his left, the blond blinked at Sasuke's sleepy face. His husband was halfway upon him, his shoulder and head on the blond. Craning his neck to the right, he watched his two-week-old baby move his chubby arms up and down his back.

"Ah." He smiled toothlessly when Naruto smiled at him. And he tried keeping his head upright, but it was no use. Slob dripped onto Naruto's back and the baby laid his face directly in it.

"Aw, come on." He whisper-yelled. Naruto would go on in his life defending his honor. He would say he was tired because when he turned to his side to pick up Saku, Saku slid down the side of his back, rolled on Sasuke, over Sasuke, and onto the floor.

Naruto shot up right when the baby began whimpering, running to the other side of the large bed. His baby just fell, was his first thought.

My baby just fell off the high bed.

Saku was crying loudly now. He hadn't taken the fall lightly, as he had fallen on to his side with a crash. His face red, he waved his feet and arms in the air to express the sudden discomfort.

"Aww, baby." Naruto bent to pick the baby up, rocking him and rubbing his face. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. It's okay."

Saku continued to cry and the baby grabbed at his shirt as if to say 'why did you turn to the side?' as if he were ready to shake common sense into his father.

"You're alright." He soothed. "I'm sorry."

"What. Happened?"

Sasuke's morning voice was baritone and shaky. With spite laced between his tonsils, his words came out even and icy.

Immediately, Saku, that sly baby, stopped crying. Instead, he took to hugging close to Naruto for warmth and comfort.

"You scared him," Naruto muttered, more to Sasuke than Saku.

The raven hummed out his usual I-have-no-words in and sat up in bed, his butt resting on his toes. He smiled softly when he spotted Saku hugging close to his father. "I thought he was crying."

Naruto eyed his son for a small moment before lifting him to his shoulder, a motion that the boy enjoyed greatly if his squeal was anything to go by. "Sūpaman doesn't cry."

"Hn," Sasuke smirked. "Well, I'll be getting ready. It's your day to watch him."

Naruto smiled softly. "I almost forgot. You have that interview at the law firm for an internship. I know you'll do great, Sas."

Sasuke smiled big at his husband, his eyes squinted and teeth stuck together. "Thank you. That's why I love you." And he did love the man that supported him through all his decisions. This internship would be a big step in his life and he wanted nothing more than to get on with becoming a lawyer. It wasn't about the money. With Naruto's business climbing higher and higher, they had billions of yen. It was about becoming someone. And Naruto supported him with everything he had. If it weren't for Naruto's ambitions in his own life, Sasuke would have given up long ago.

Sensing the hidden message behind his happiness, Naruto sat on the bed with his husband, and he placed a hand on his pale shoulder. "You're going to do fine. In fact, you're going to do better than fine. You're going to do tremendously. With your brain, those guys are going to wonder why you didn't skip the internship and go straight to the law firm."

Saku, in his strong arms, wiggled slightly, his own big dark eyes roaming until they found their mother. Sasuke smiled in a loving way; a smile solely meant for his son; the one that went up in a way that wasn't too trying and his eyes were filled with love. Saku giggled brightly. It was such a pleasant sound coming from someone so happy and pleasant.

Sasuke awwed and grabbed his son from Naruto's arms. "You are so cute. Yes, piglet, you are. Can you say you love mommy?" Saku smiled and used his hands to caress Sasuke's cheeks. And then it happened. When Sasuke moved in to kiss his boy's lips, the baby's gums caught hold of his bottom lip.

"Holy shit." Naruto covered his mouth to hold in his laughs. Because the baby must have to hungry as hell to be sucking on Sasuke's bottom lip like that. When Saku realized his mother's lip wasn't food, he let go with a whimper. "He...haha...sucked the shit out of your bottom lip. It's all...hahaha...swollen."

Saku was crying now, probably hungry, and probably feeling betrayed that his mother had fooled him. Sasuke, on the other hand, was seething. Raising a fist, the pale man threw it back down in anger, watching Omo wince in pain. "Don't curse around him, idiot. Do you want shit to be his first word."

Naruto grabbed and rubbed his head, feeling more offended then Saku was at the moment. "Sorry." He uttered, but the apology was gone when he looked at Sasuke's puffy bottom lip. He stood, laughing only a little. "Why don't you breastfeed him while I get your bath ready?"

Sasuke nodded, watching the sweet man move into the bathroom. He looked back down as he cradled the baby. Although Naruto had faith in him, there was still a nervous bone in his body that really hoped Sasuke did well in the internship. His name was known around Japan now, and with his drug felony still on record, finding any kind of job would be tough. He really hoped the interview went well.

* * *

 _One Hour Later_

Sasuke stormed out of the law firm with an impassive look on his face. Each time his foot hit the pavement on the path to his Chrysler, he tried to think of why the interview went so bad. What could he have possibly done wrong?

Putting a hand to his mouth, the Namikaze thought of something his grandfather once said to him. Was it speak of the devil and he shall appear? No. Or maybe it was the law of attraction?

By focusing on positive or negative thoughts, had he brought positive or negative experiences into his life? Had he manifested the thought of doing horribly in the interview? He growled when he got to the car, slamming the door hard when he got in. It couldn't be. He had done so well, answered every question like a professional.

Why do you want to intern here?

What do you expect this position to be like?

What's your goal with this internship?

Tell me about some of your school involvements and how they relate to this job.

He had done so well. It was just those really big questions he couldn't handle.

Have you been involved in any criminal activity? Sasuke Uchiha, correct? Well, you've been on the news recently. The drug charge is still on your record.

I'm sorry, but we're going to explore other options. If anything comes up, however, we'll give you a call.

Sasuke was so deep in his thoughts, he didn't even realize that he had already pulled into his driveway. Sighing and trying to put on a clean face for his family, the raven stepped out and marched up to the door, his smile bigger than the universe.

They were talking; Naruto and Rocky Mush, the man he had met a year prior. They were talking and laughing together at the glass table in the living room about Naruto's political status and the cocaine factories. On the table before them were seven-kilogram cocaine packages, stacked against one another.

Naruto grunted. "I need you to go to factory A and tell them to dial it down on the powder." he picked up the package labeled A and handed them to the odd man. "And come back tomorrow. There's something Chouji and I need you to take care of."

Rocky Mush's real name was Rock Lee. He was another kid Naruto had grown up with but didn't know as well as Shikamaru, Ino, or Shino. But he became a loyal friend when that was all Naruto needed growing up at that shy Namikaze boy. He was a soapmaker in the organization, and from what Sasuke had heard about him, one of the best. Mush was a soapmaker of all three kinds. Not only did he package cocaine into soap bars for shipment, he was also a renowned cleaner. Naruto said that no one else could clean up a body like Mush could. Whether the body was dismembered, in ashes, or fully bloody, Mush got rid of its existence.

"Janitor" was his name around the cartel, but "Mush" overshadowed the reputation. Rock Lee was bad luck. Or so Naruto had said. Everything he touched turned to mush and when they used to go see the football games, the gatekeeper gave Mush his tickets ripped up. Everything he touched turned to shit. And that made him the Namikaze cartel's greatest soapmaker. With Rock Lee's bad luck, anything he touched had bad luck too. If Rock Lee disposed of a body somewhere, the people looking for it would never find it either. If it weren't for his bad luck, he wouldn't have any luck at all.

Mush smiled brightly at Ōmo. "You got it, boss." To Sasuke, he wasn't an ugly man. He just had ugly features.

Rock Lee's face had a nose that was small and red at most times, eyes that were beady and flashy, a mouth always held in a determined pout, and bushy eyebrows that looked like they held minds of their own. Those features were ugly alone, but when they sculpted together, Rock Lee was pretty damn adorable. He looked like a child, his big eyes always shining with determination and his lips always puckered downward. So in all, he was cute.

Sasuke decided to make his presence known by waving slightly. "Hello." He muttered.

Mush's head shot up and he smiled brightly at Sasuke. "Ōmo's beautiful husband! So nice to see you again!"

The cry that Saku, who had been hitherto asleep, let out was long and drawn. It did not express that he needed immediate attention, but he did want attention. Sasuke glided over to the crib, his hands ready as Mush frowned an apology.

A skilled man, Naruto's fist collided with the soapmaker's head while his blue eyes were closed. "Sit down, idiot."

Mush frowned in discomfort, his eyes welling with dramatic tears as Naruto smiled at him softly. And Sasuke saw that it was another secret, this Rock Lee man. He was another one of those people Naruto didn't like speaking of because their friendship was too great to speak of. He was important, so Naruto kept him inside his heart for fear of the world hating him.

"What did I do wrong this time?" He cried out even more dramatically than his sudden tears. He was watching Naruto, but his mouth was asking God.

Naruto laughed softly. "Nothing much. Just existed." Mush sighed as if his powers of bad luck were a burden to all. Naruto rubbed his shoulder. "Would you calm down? We're not gonna execute you. Saku's a crier. He cries more than you know. But he stops eventually."

And true to his word, Saku completely stopped whining after the fourth rock against his mother's chest. He decided that trying to look around the luxury living room was more interesting, despite the simple fact that he couldn't control his two-week-old head.

Sasuke smiled lovingly at the baby. "Yeah. Don't get so worked up. He might cry a lot, but he's strong. And you only frightened him a little. That doesn't mean he doesn't like you, Mush. Even if he hated you, we wouldn't kill you over it. We would never."

The baby hummed softly and Sasuke's crazy laugh afterward made Naruto smirk. "Well, except Ino. Saku didn't like her so we had to kill her." He giggled as Rock Lee rubbed his neck nervously.

He looked at Naruto. "Speaking of...where are Duke and Queen? They usually run to the door."

"I took them to Oji because they kept barking at the basement door and waking Saku up. It was either that or the dog house. Oji wanted them for the night."

Sasuke shrugged. "They'll have to come back anyway. Oji wanted Saku for the night and I was on my way over."

Before either Namikaze could say more, Mush's head shot up in a fright. "Koshaku and Joō were barking at the basement door! What's in the basement? Yūrei?"

Saku began wailing loudly again and Sasuke deadpanned. Rock Lee was such an idiot, he saw now why he and his husband got along.

Naruto hit the man again. "The moment you start getting suspicious is the moment you get the privilege of leaving my house. So here." He grabbed an unseen duffle bag from the floor and placed it the several kilo packages in it. "Take these and come back later, alright?"

Mush nodded. "Got it, boss." He smiled adorably at Sasuke and the raven's attitude faded away almost immediately. "Nice seeing you again, Sasuke-san."

"You too." He whispered and the jolly man was gone.

Saku looked at the door that the soapmaker had walked out of and his wailing grew harsher. He was even more upset now that his entertainment was gone. Sasuke raised a brow. "Hn? Ah. I see. I knew you liked him."

Sasuke was labeled as a mother even though he couldn't scientifically be labeled as male nor female; even though he looked to be all male. Getting pregnant at 19 years old was considered young in his eyes; in Oji's eyes; in everyone's eyes. So this parenting thing was new for him. Like Naruto was learning as he went, so was Sasuke. He wasn't a bad mother: very far from it in fact. It was just that he wasn't like the rest of them. Not those lovey-dovey ass women he saw on television shows that gave their kids everything they wanted and nothing they actually needed. He wasn't good at negotiating with his baby, so he bribed him. There were many times where Sasuke had to read about breastfeeding and taking care of an infant. Some days he could comfort and coddle his son all day. Some days were hard. And the hard days were days where he all his parenting skills went out the window. Like today.

"Shh. It's alright." He whispered. Saku cried even harder. "Please, Piglet. You'll see him again. Now please stop crying. Do you want to see Grandpa or not?"

He could hear soft laughing from behind before he was engulfed by the blond. Sighing, Sasuke wondered how all the negative energy could be thrown out of the window when Naruto comforted him.

"I'd take that the interview didn't go well."

Sasuke sighed. "It's just with the arrest and all. And the drug charge is still on my record which I should have looked at."

"It's not your fault, Sas. And don't worry, they'll call back once they actually look at your resumé."

The Uchiha nodded, but there was still sadness in his heart that made Naruto sad too. "I'm gonna go drop Saku off at the guest house, alright? And I'll be right back. Because we need to have a talk."

Naruto's hum against his neck wasn't smooth. It was crumbly and made Sasuke's entire body shudder. The blond nipped at Sasuke's jawline softly, the flesh being pulled between his teeth until it didn't stretch further. He ground against the raven's backside, making the smaller man moan. "I like the sound of that."

Lifting a hand up, the Uchiha rested it on Naruto's head, burying it further into his neck, letting Naruto's heated tongue ravish him. "Ngh. N-Naruto."

"Aah."

His dark eyes shot open and he looked down in horror. Naruto froze too as the eye not burying in Sasuke's flesh opened. Saku, the sly baby, was staring curiously, having gone quiet long ago. Sasuke sighed. "Okay. I'll be back."

Moving to the other side of the couch, Sasuke bent with his baby to grab a small backpack labeled "baby vacation."

Inside were things that Saku kept with him in Oji's guest house, including a few Iro clothes. "Naruto help me tie him to my back."

The blond did so and when he kissed Sasuke smoothly, the Uchiha was on his way, through the garden and to see his grandfather.

Naruto watched him leave before grabbing hold of his phone and dialing immediately.

"Konnichiwa." The woman spoke softly on the other end.

He hummed. "Moshi. Connect me to the 26th floor of MARUNOUCHI TRUST TOWER MAIN, 1-8-3 Marunouchi, Marunouchi, Tokyo, Tokyo 100-0005, Japan...please?"

"Do you have a scheduled appointment with the law firm, sir?" She asked almost sweetly.

"Tell them Naruto Namikaze is calling." He growled, done playing.

* * *

 _Mohammed Household_

 _Tokyo, Japan_

 _January 5, 2005_

She had been gone for two days now and Bolade wondered if she were going through one of her phases again.

He sighed, getting up and sweeping the day-old glass from beneath the replaced coffee table. He didn't mean to hurt Sha the way he did.

He didn't enjoy hurting her and having sex with her when she didn't want to. It was just...the man clenched the broom even tighter in his grasp...she made him so mad and sometimes, Bolade didn't even know why.

Over time, Sha had become a valuable asset to the cartel. There was no one else like her with her job. She was a captain, running a large group in the cartel-like a marine and even served as a diplomat in the syndicate. She was one of the most beautiful women known to any man in the cartel, with Karin coming in as a close second. Every man wanted her, some women wanted to be her...if only for the hype and fame and the attention. And as beautiful and soft as sweet lips could be, she was even more deadly. Sha had done her fair share of petty work, from robbing money trucks to local stores. And she had done her harsh work, from killing men who had children and wives to killing women who had a family as well. There was no one else like her.

But there was someone like Bolade. Hundreds even. An entire generation of poor kids taken in by Naruto who would be just like him. Hitmen could be replaced. Sha couldn't. So that made her a little more important than him. And that made him angry.

So he beat the living shit out of her. Because fuck what the cartel said, she was his wife. She was under him, no matter how many soldiers she commanded.

When Bolade came home after Ino and Camui had been taken care of, Sha was gone and her mess was still there. It angered him. He called her. She didn't answer. He called Naruto and Sasuke. They didn't know where she was. And then Shikamaru, who also had no clue, but managed to ask was Bolade alright.

Bolade told him no.

And that was two days ago. Sha was still missing. And her disappearance was normal for everyone else since Naruto had told them to lay low for a while. Just until the entire Ino thing blew over. It was normal for everyone to not have seen her. It wasn't for Bolade. Why hadn't she cleaned up? Why hadn't she come home?

Sighing, the man grabbed for his phone, thinking about calling Sasuke this time about her whereabouts. Sha and Sasuke were close. And B didn't want to bother or worry Naruto.

Dialing harshly, the man called Sasuke. There was a part in him that knew he was going to kill Sha when he found her. And then there was a part of him that hoped that wherever she was, she was okay.

* * *

 _Costco Wholesale Kawasaki_

 _Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan_

 _January 5, 2005_

Shikamaru loved her when she was laughing and then again when she was looking mean and serious and impressive. Love her, he did. Everything, the good as well as the bad. He loved her crazy lifestyle, and he loved her hard discipline. He loved her freedom of speech and the way her eyes got dark when she was tired. He loved that she learned to trust people with her beating heart, even if it always got broken.

God, why was she so adorable? Pouting like that, bringing a sad energy into the entire supermarket.

Pushing the cart, Sha finally noticed the Nara sending her small smiles. "Why did we come all the way to Kanagawa to get your food? I hate this market."

"You know we have to lay low Sha. Ino has been reported missing." He muttered.

"Which we could ave done in yoa' ome quietly. Besides, ev'yone keeps stawing at me becaoze I look diffa'nt."

No doubt, Sha felt weird about walking the streets of Japan as a Black woman. She looked different than most Japanese citizens, with her skin and exotic Bantu knots, and sometimes she felt out of place. But it wasn't the only reason they all stared. Shikamaru knew.

He smirked and looked away. "They're staring because you're beautiful, idiot. Now come on."

"Hm."

They ventured around the store quietly, not saying much to one another besides Sha telling him what was best to get in the vegetable sections. Or Sha complaining about the use of supermarkets. Or Sha reminiscing about the market street her parents would send her to, where all the fresh foods were sat out. Or Sha complaining about men that smiled daringly at her when Shikamaru was focused on the foods. Sha talked most of the time and Shikamaru had no problem with it. She was silent just a day ago, caught between being hurt and contemplating if rape was still rape even if you were married to the devil.

Shikamaru liked to believe that no matter what happened in Sha's life, he would always be there to make her feel better. He liked to believe that her laughing quietly in the store was his doing.

"Would you stop that?" She eventually ground between her teeth when they were almost done shopping.

Shikamaru smirked. "What am I doing?" And still, he moved right back in front of the shopping cart, halting her movement altogether. He knew what he was doing.

Smirking, the woman pulled the cart back, only to push it at full force back. Shikamaru yelled in pain and looked to Sha's smirking lips with shock. He rubbed his butt in pain and asked gently "why'd you do that?"

"You kept stopping me."

"That hurt."

Sha's chocolate eyes traveled downward to his hand. "Oh please. The'e is nothing the'e."

"Exactly. My ass isn't like yours, Sha. It has no meat on it. It's basically all bone." The woman laughed softly and he smiled at her. "Oh, you think that's funny? Wait until we get outside. I'm gonna kick your ass."

It was all fun and games really. That was the thing she loved most about him. The fact that he could threaten her all he wanted, but never lay a finger on her. So simply, she stuck out her tongue.

"If you hit me, I'm going to smash ya ca window."

"You wouldn't touch my precious car."

"Twy me."

Shikamaru stared at her for a long moment before he started to her. Sha giggled loudly and ran away as he chased her down the aisle. They were causing a scene, but what did they care? When Shikamaru and Sha were together, the world didn't exist.

Shikamaru had caught her easily, and pinned her against the cereal. They stared at one another before he hugged her slowly and kissed her forehead.

"I love you, Shikamaru Nara." She whispered.

"I haven't heard that one in a while." He whispered back.

"Just accept it."

"I do. I do."

* * *

Sasuke sighed as he opened the door to his home, exhausted from the teary departure with his son, who was now a whole garden away from him.

He bent to untie the leashes from around the dogs' necks, watching as they jumped impatiently.

"Excited to see Naruto?" He questioned. However, when he unhooked the chains, Koshaku and Joō ran to the kitchen and to the basement door, where they sat barking at it.

Sasuke's head turned to the side as the early conversation with Mush and Naruto came back. What really was down in the basement?

He walked over to Koshaku and bent down, staring at the leg Ino had injured two weeks prior. "Hey!" He called, smirking when the obedient Dobermans stopped barking immediately. "You two go find something to do until I take you out. No more barking at this door understood."

Joō barked happily, running away. Koshaku, on the other hand, stayed, opting instead to glare silently at the door.

Sasuke rubbed his head. "I don't like when you're on your feet, okay? It hasn't fully healed."

The dog put his head down as if he sighed and limped out of the kitchen, following wherever Joō had gone. Koshaku was younger than Joō and when they were just puppies, she was the leader. But in recent weeks, Koshaku seemed to take his protective role more seriously, even more than his sister. Sasuke appreciated that, but he wanted his dogs to be carefree at times.

Standing at full again, Sasuke stared at the basement door. He wondered if he should just go down and see what all the commotion was about. Whatever was down there, Naruto needed both Chouji and Mush to help him with it. Sasuke had yet to meet Chouji and Naruto had said little about the man. So it was unknown what his job was. But he knew Mush and Mush was a soapmaker; a clean up man. Mush hid bodies.

Could there be a body in the basement?

The man cringed. What body could Naruto have in the basement? And why their basement?

Shaking his head, Sasuke backed away. He needed to clear his head. It had been a rough day and now he was assuming all these things. What he needed was a cigarette and to fall into bed and sleep.

With Naruto nowhere to be found, he could do just that in peace. So he walked up the steps into the master bedroom where he looked into his drawer, located a cigarette and a lighter and lit it. Their personal bathroom was loud and Sasuke could see the smoke falling in from beneath the door. Naruto was showering.

It felt good in his system. He wasn't much of a smoker, but if he were stressed, these were significant to him. Changing, the man flopped into their bed onto his stomach, not caring if the wind was knocked out of him.

Could be a body in there. But why would Naruto put a body in the home where his son lived? If there's a body, how long had it been there?

He just felt disturbed by the mere thought of having a dead body in the same house as Saku. Of course, it would be no problem if it was just him and his husband. But Saku was just a baby.

The raven was so deep in his thoughts, he didn't notice that Naruto had come out naked. So he tensed when he felt Naruto's toned stomach and penis through his own silky pajamas.

Sasuke frowned deeply, reaching his arm over to put out the cigar instantly. "Naruto." He asked with no emotion. "Are you naked on my pajamas?"

Naruto leaned down and ground against him, breathing heat against his ear. "And horny." He corrected. "Hungry even...for you."

Sasuke laughed softly, but it was drowned out by his own moan. "Naruto." He whispered.

"I want to make you feel better, Sasuke. Right here. Just like this. I want nothing else."

He reached around Sasuke's chest, resting his arms there.

Love is a really complicated thing and it always got in the way of something. It complicated even the most simple lives. And the last thing Naruto and Sasuke needed were more complications.

Sasuke had enough of that: what with the flag of the intersex laying proudly over his head around all of Japan, trying to make a good life for a son with absolutely no experience, the drug charge that's stopping him from getting what he's wanted since childhood. All of those things that pushed him into this cycle of lost dreams.

He doesn't need more complications which is all that love brings. All he needed was Naruto's warm cheek against his pale shoulder and those murmurs that weren't meant to come from the mouth of Omo.

Naruto had enough complications too; his own campaign for the cabinet wasn't going well. The people wondered about him again now that his husband had been involved with Ino's cartel. He was trying to raise a son with it in his mind that he would never be a good father. And the cartel was another life in itself the blond had to raise.

So it was easy for Omo to say he didn't do love because all it did was complicate things. He didn't need any of that. All he needed was to feel the weight of Sasuke beneath him. Love is stupid to him, he wants to think.

But sex between Naruto and Sasuke was nothing if it wasn't about love, then it didn't matter at all. Naruto could try to be silent all he wanted when he kissed the back of his husband's head. He could try to avoid Sasuke's eyes when he had flipped the raven because it would be so stupid and foolish to cry. He would go on to deny that just looking at Sasuke while they were entwined made him emotional because of how much he just wanted Sasuke to be happy. But he couldn't do it.

So he would whisper to the raven.

 _You're so warm._

 _You're so beautiful._

" _Sasuke, I l-"_

Sasuke would cut him off if he was feeling down and out. Tell Naruto to stop before he even finished. Because the words are supposed to be insignificant. But, even he can't comprehend why he and Naruto are like this at all. So he says foolish things.

" _Don't cum in me. You know what happened last time."_

" _It's not like you can get pregnant again."_

Naruto's an idiot because despite accepting everything about Sasuke, he still doesn't understand the life and way of an intersex. But Sasuke loved him anyway. And when he told him that, Naruto smiled and leaned down, kissing his eyelash and telling Sasuke that he was the most important thing in the world to him.

* * *

 _January 6, 2005_

When Naruto arose the next morning, there was a loud pounding on the door downstairs. Rubbing his eyes, the man leaned up in bed with a deep frown on his face. Whoever was on the door this early was really going to get their asses killed.

He knew it wasn't Oji. The soft man just didn't knock that hard. Whoever was knocking was heavyset. Big or not, Naruto was going to kill them.

His blue eyes turned to Sasuke, who sat with Naruto's pistol in hand, cigarette in mouth. He handed the pistol to Naruto. "They've been knocking for a while now. I was wondering when you were going to get up."

Naruto hummed and stood with a grimace. "If this isn't anyone I know…" He trailed, walking over to the door. "I'm gonna blow their fucking head over the garden."

Sasuke scowled and stood too. "Oji's flowers have done nothing to you. They don't deserve to bathe in blood."

Naruto laughed rambunctiously as he walked down the stairs. Dammit, he loved Sasuke's personality. Once he reached the door, Naruto took no time to swing it wide open. "You got a death wish or- Chouji?"

The heavyset man in the doorway was something. With Naruto's pistol still pointed in his face, he gave no impression of showing fear and Sasuke wondered who this Chouji was. In his eyes, there was no fear of death. Naruto sighed, almost relieved. Looking around, the blond pulled the man in. "Get in here you big rut."

Chouji and Sasuke now stood face to face with one another. "Hello, Namikaze-san." The large man muttered, his hands clenching around the strap of the large bag around his shoulder.

Sasuke reached out his hand. "Nice to meet you, Chouji. My name is Sasuke Namikaze."

"He doesn't touch people," Naruto muttered, making his husband stare in curiosity and shrink his hand back. "It's alright Sasuke. Don't take offense to it." He moved closer. "Sasuke, this is Chouji Akimichi, a friend of mine and a member of this business. You can call him Chouji, but most people know him by Kattā."

"Kattā…" Sasuke whispered back. Cutter. And now he saw all. Chouji's bag, Duke and Queen barking at the basement door, Rocky Mush's involvement with what was down there and his relationship with Chouji.

Chouji wasn't spoken of that much, but he also wasn't one of those things Naruto wanted to keep inside. Because he wasn't close. It was just that….Chouji "cutter" Akimichi was a butcher for the cartel. People who cut up bodies were the most loyal to the cartel, but they weren't seen in the crowds.

Bile rose in Sasuke's throat, but he kept it down because he was skilled in that area. So he smiled softly. "I see. Well, that's alright. I'm sure you came over for something important, so I'll leave you two to it. Naruto, I'm going to get dressed and get Saku."

Naruto nodded and watched Sasuke haul up their nice stairs. Chouji looked to him and the blond laughed. "Ah don't worry. There's a reason they call him psycho. He's going to love you really soon. Doesn't matter if you chop up bodies. Now come on."

Chouji nodded, trying to ease his disturbance. His job was one of the most loyal in the cartel. And his loyalty is why he didn't show his face often.

Naruto shook his head and led the man to the basement door where his Doberman Pinschers were standing and staring at it.

He tapped Koshaku's back. "Get on out of here, you two." And Koshaku ran behind Joō. Naruto smirked and opened the door for the man, and Chouji obeyed without question, stepping down into the dark basement.

"Where are the bodies?" He questioned when Naruto closed and locked the door, following him down. He hummed. "Nice basement." And it really was a nice basement, furnished with a pool table a large television and a few couches. There was a bathroom down there as well.

"Thanks. They're in the back room. I already put them in bags so all we need to do is move them to your truck."

Chouji's brows furrowed. "What do you mean my truck? I brought my car."

"I told you to bring the truck. They can't both fit in that car."

"Not if I cut them up."

Naruto glared. "You are not going to cut up Ino's and Camui's bodies in my house, Butcher."

Chouji sneered at his lord. "Of course not." Reaching into the bag he brought, the auburn-haired male pulled out two pairs of gloves and two full coats. In the bag were also two large machete knives that made Naruto blink in threes. "You have to help me though if you want them out of here fast."

* * *

Naruto's first time chopping up a body is disgusting and sloppy. He likes blood, but he doesn't like cold blood and he really doesn't get along with two-day-old blood as he now sees. Ino's body is decaying. No more is her skin tanned, but a sick grey, her lips already bluish.

Her flesh is half torn as well, hanging off her body as a result of Koshaku and Joō's frightening teeth.

Naruto spots maggots, flecks of doughy white nestled within mangled flesh, feverishly squirming into hunks of gore.

And the smell. The smell is the most disturbing thing he had ever sniffed. It was blatant her bowels had been released, and all too soon. Chouji moaned in disbelief.

"You could have cleaned them."

Naruto shakes his head. It wasn't his area of expertise. He just continued to stare at Ino's body until a heavy hand clamped down on his shoulder. Chouji smiled and handed him equipment, as well as a mask.

"This kid, Saku right? He's supposed to be an heir to your throne right. You want to power of the cartel to stay in the family?"

Naruto nodded, twirling the machete in his hands. He buttoned his coat firmly. He tied the mask around his face to drown out the smell. And the gloves felt good too.

"And she tried to kill your son and your husband?"

Naruto sneered. "She deserves this, Chouji. Repeat that to yourself. She deserves it."

"You got it, boss. It's not easy the first time. It's never easy. But I remember when you took me in and you said, 'even if it gets easy, don't stop.'" Chouji is skilled at what he does. Which is why he manages most of the restaurants Naruto laundered money in. The way he slammed the machete back down on Camui's skin makes Naruto envy him.

But then he realizes that he's Ōmo. He's put men in acid before. He's suffocated them. Ever since he was a child, his mind was fucked up. Plagued by what was inside him.

So Naruto raises his own machete, slamming it down on Ino's shin. The limb separated instantly. Naruto laughed softly. "This is a really sharp blade."

And he continues to chop the body up, not caring how or even that the parts are dismantled and jagged.

Chouji knows he will go on to remember chopping up the bodies with his boss because it's an experience he will never forget.

Naruto is happy as he cuts Ino's body and he's singing a children's song which makes him all the more frightening.

 _If your happy and you know it_ clap _your hands for when he's focused on gently removing Ino's fingers from her palms._

And then he's humming _head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes._

It makes Chouji realize that Naruto Namikaze is different than everyone else. He's not just Ōmo. He has a lot of jobs in the cartel. And that's where the respect comes in. He's enough to make any man feel natural. Because Naruto resembles a monster right now. But he feels good about it.

It takes them three hours to chop the bodies, put them in bags, clean the basement, and shower. Naruto's shower is an extra ten minutes because he can't remember how violently he smashed the machete on his nemesis' skin.

Naruto sighed, crossing his arms in his newly changed clothes and staring at the bags as Chouji cleaned his utensils.

"Ino used to bully me in school." He mumbled. Chouji stopped to stare, bewildered by the new information. "She used to call me poor because my clothes were dirty. And one time, she pushed me in the river because she said I really stunk. Karin wanted to kill me for crying."

Naruto laughed. He crouched down to the bag. "You pushed my husband down the stairs and tried to kill him. You hurt my son. Now you stink. In fact, it smells like you died days ago."

He laughed softly and Chouji shook his head with a soft smile.

* * *

 **Japanese words used here:**

Yūrei means ghosts. As you guys can see, not only is Rock Lee bad luck, he's also superstitious. XD

 **Chouji and Rock Lee, better known as "Katta" and "Rocky Mush" respectively. These two are some new interesting characters. But there is still more to learn.**

 **Society high is the title of this chapter. It's a blissful feeling of cocaine. Here, I want to describe the tag team that is Naruto Namikaze and Sasuke Namikaze. No words really needed. They can show you themselves.**

 **This chapter is going to be continued. I don't want to rush this story at all. In fact I'm aiming for 50+ chapters. Anyway, I want to add more details about EVERYONE involved in this story, not just Naruto and Sasuke. So some chapters may fully be about this person or that person. Sometimes not with Naruto or Sasuke at all.**

 **PS. You guys have every reason to be angry at me for not updating in 8 days. I'm sorry. There's really no excuse. Not life or writers block got in the way. I was being lazy. And I'm being super honest. I'm sorry. :I**


	13. Kryptonite

**Kryptonite**

 **Hello people. Can I just thank you all for sticking with me this far? It means more than this universe and any other out there. I want you all to know that I dedicated myself to this and felt really bad for not updating in eight days. But you guys are sticking through so thanks so much.**

 **Big thanks to my awesome previous chapter reviewers: Yami Heart, the Unapologetic, FranBunny, HeartSNS, and an awesome guest :D**

 **Yami heart: I totally agree with your reactions to the characters. Even though I'm writing this as a tale of how Ōmo's life if affecting everyone around him, right now Sasuke is my favorite character to write and that's NEVER happened with my stories. His character development is so awesome because even though he's super loyal to Naruto, Sasuke has his own goals and tribulations. And Naruto really is a monster. Like Sas said, "Naruto was so good at being a monster that he looked like a human." And Saku is so fudging adorable. I write his moments and even I can't help myself. Bolade is an uncomfortable character to write. The way I write him is scary because I know there are people in real life just like him. It's really a scary thought. And my favorite. The crazy relationship that is ShikaSha. There are no words to describe how much I love writing them together because the pain is so real. And lastly, one of my favorite reviewers, Yamiheart, who is just as badass as Sasuke when it comes to sticking by the story. I'm raving now because I really love my characters, no matter their troubles and sins.**

 **Franbunny: Mommy Sasuke is everything. I cannot express to you or anyone else how much I love writing Sasuke's character. He's a complex man. One minute he's afraid that he isn't doing right for his son, but then comes Saku who absolutely adores him. Saku loves being with his parents, but you can already see that he's a little mischievous.**

 **HeartSNS: thank you for accepting my laziness, but I'm trying not to let it happen again. XD I really don't want that to happen with this story. Some chapters end so violently that I don't want to leave you all hanging. And thank you for the muse. I'm jumping for it because I can see it in the stars.**

 **The Unapologetic: Based on the fact that your review kept me up at three in the morning with the excitement of finishing this chapter, I'm going to take what my stories do to you as a compliment. There are going to be a lot of 'Nah bitch though it was' moments in here. It would be very hard for me to write Naruto as a complete monster. So I just made him half of a monster. I really loved your review. It made me so happy that I just had to come and finish this quickly. And no worries about the long reviews. The more you say, the more I have to respond with. :D your Tata at the end reminded me of Karin and Naruto's signature goodbye to one another.**

 **Karin: Bye bye, silly hoe.**

 **Naruto: Tata, rich bitch.**

 **Just thanks so much, you guys. It's so awesome.**

 **This chapter will be focusing on the Namikazes and their lives over time, excluding Maso, the man that started it all. Before we begin to remember these things: the original Namikaze trio was Minato, Madoka, and Misaji. All born in 1954. The current Namikaze trio is Nagato, Karin, and Naruto.**

 **Nagato was born in 1978**

 **Karin was born in 1980**

 **And Naruto was born in 1983**

 **That is very important for you to remember as there will be some surprises in this chapter about the family. I know how you guys like surprises.**

* * *

 _Maso Namikaze's home_

 _Kabukichō, Tokyo, Japan_

 _April 14, 1970_

"Madoka." The teen turned over in his bed, fighting against the soft mantra that was his name. "Madoka." The Gods called again, trying to summon him.

He let out a groan and stretched at full length of his small bed, not missing the way his feet hung off the edge and kissed the cold air of the house.

"Madoka. It's time for school."

The teen in question finally turned his head, just wanting to smile at how determined his father looked. With a missing eye and lip, it was hard to take Maso Namikaze seriously. But his sons weren't fooled. He was a tough man, loyal to the Marines. And despite his father's looks, Madoka would fight anyone on this.

"Demo watashi wa tsukarete iru nda." he complained.

But he sat up in bed anyway when he saw Maso crossing his arms and scowling. He doesn't want a fight with his father. Not this early.

"But you stayed up all night outside. But I'll kick your ass. It all sounds the same to me. You have an hour to be out of here and in class. And Betsy didn't just work over the stove just so you could not go to school. So go eat breakfast."

Maso was tough even with the bomb still on his back. The man left the room when he saw his son's feet touch the floor. Madoka shook his head with a soft laugh. He could complain that despite being triplets, he was the only one being forced to still attend school. But why should he complain? Everyone in the house had their own problems to deal with, including both his brothers.

And if God wanted to prove his point, the cries of Misaji's son Kaito erupted in the living room. Kaito was just two years old, the obvious result of Misaji's charm on an older woman who didn't want to take care of his baby. It was odd really when they were just 14 to see an 18-year-old woman come up to their home and demand that _Maso_ cares for the child. Because apparently, Misaji was too young to deal with that kind of commitment even if he was stupid enough to fool around at a young age.

Nonetheless, Misaji became a father at 14 years old and Kaito, rightfully his, was there to stay. So Misaji, always the star child of the bunch, dropped out of school to work jobs even if Kaito was with Betsy or Maso all the time.

His other brother, Minato, was never home. Despite having the sense to not knock someone up, his situation wasn't any less dire. He was in the streets, something that Betsy always feared for them the moment Maso told her they were coming to Kabukichō. Minato didn't want to, as he put it, "Work for the man," so he took to making fast money. And fast money was violent. Gangs like the Yakuza Crime Syndicate were rising and no one really knew what Minato was up between when he left that front door late at night and when he returned early morning. They only had the slightest clues.

Madoka sighed. They all had problems of their own. And he supposed he was the last hope. Because why else was his father so pressed for him to go to school every day and be something? His brothers weren't going to do it.

His father's words rang in his head. **Sometimes a name is all you need.** The feeling at the pit of his stomach did not go unnoticed and Madoka stood there in the middle of the room wondering who he really was. He wasn't like his brothers, and despite their lives now, they still seemed better than his. He was nothing really. Just a last resort because he didn't have a baby or gang looming over his head.

Without a care in the world, the teen bent down and picked up a t-shirt lying on his floor. He examined it for a moment before deciding that it was clean enough and putting it over his head. He walked out of the room, spotting his nephew immediately.

Nephew. The word even sounded odd coming from his head. He never thought he would be an uncle to anyone this young. In fact, he never thought he'd be anything, not even a father. Madoka always assumed that whatever Minato was into in the streets would kill them all first.

Kaito looked up, tears in his eyes as he whined and whined. Madoka only stared because the two-year-old was staring at him, crying that loudly and probably for no good reason either.

And God came again to prove him right when Betsy walked from the kitchen, bowl of whole grain oatmeal clutched tightly in her brown hand. "Ah told you, you can eat when you git all this stuff up, boy. Ah'm sick of steppin on these things."

Kaito wiped his eyes and stared at the woman, his enemy at the moment. She had refused to give him his breakfast unless he put his toys in the toy box. And the boy was hungry, so he hated her for taking his food even though the solution was simple. Yeah, in his two-year-old mind he hated her.

But then he stared at her long and well before being the smart child that he was. Standing on his short stubby legs, the boy put the toys in the red box in the middle of the floor before going to stand by Betsy. He tugged on her leg trying to gain her attention as if she hadn't watched the entire scenario. "Mommy." He cried.

Yes, Betsy was mom to two generations since she was the only woman any child in that house had ever known. First, she was considered mom to Maso's triplets despite her denial. And now to this little red-haired brat who was taking Madoka's place as Betsy's favorite.

"Mommy."

She sighed softly. "Yes, Kaito?"

The boy pointed with a large smile to the now clear livingroom floor, free of any risks of foot accidents. "I putted my toys away." He lifted his arms as a need for her to carry him. "Pick you up?" He asked.

And of course, Betsy couldn't resist. The black woman leaned down and scooped the boy up as he hugged her chest. "Eat yo oatmeal while its warm."

Madoka sighed, walking further into the living room until he made it to the kitchen. He made sure to slump in his chair with a heavy huff and Betsy took notice of the attitude. "Boy don't you come in this kitchen with no bad mood. Ah done been runnin around here slaving over this stove for you. Straighten up that face for it git stuck like that."

Madoka changed the subject quickly, turning his head so that she couldn't see his smirk. "If Kaito's just like Misaji, you'll be a **great** -grandmother before you know it, old hag."

"Well, if you continue on ya mornin streak without washing up, you'll be dead before you see it, brat."

"Minato's going to get us all killed first."

"Ever since you were a baby, you ain't never lie."

The sixteen-year-old couldn't contain his laughter, but it subtled when Betsy came over and kissed his forehead, her giggles dying out like the universe as well.

Betsy's life was simple because she made it that way. Since they were young, she and Maso had a plan to make a decent life for the three boys. And she had tried her best. Even when she was in America. Madoka had never given her problems really. In fact, none of the boys really gave her problems. Not even Minato's rumored gang violence or the fact that Misaji couldn't keep his hands off nasty women in the streets could stop her from loving them. But Madoka. That boy was a charmed child since his cradle days. She swore it.

"You look tired. Here, I'll make your plate for you. You just go own and git ya brothers. And tell them they better come quick."

"Brothers?" He asked. And maybe he didn't mean to ask out loud and in the way he did. He was surprised and almost hopeful. And Betsy had caught that, trying to hide that pitying gaze she had when it came to Madoka. Little Madoka who wasn't like the rest. Because really when was the last time Minato was even home for him to be _that_ hopeful?

She smiled softly. "Yeah. Both of them."

Madoka was out of his seat and pushing to Misaji's room before she even finished. Without question, he opened his brother's door. And sure enough, they were both there, on the bed, hovered close and looking over something. Their heads shot up quickly and when they realized it was just him, the two relaxed. The youngest contemplated coming in fully because if Minato was involved, it could be something illegal.

But just seeing Minato alive and well made him move in. "What are you guys looking at?"

Minato gave him a cheeky grin before saying one word that made his brother blanch and really contemplate leaving. "Boobs." Before he could turn on his heel, Minato grabbed his arm, evidently eager to see him too, and dragged the dark haired boy closer. "Mite mina."

And sure enough, Madoka comes face to face with pale breasts that were as large as soccer balls. The nipples are a rosy pink and the way the naked woman is posing is almost poetic in itself. It makes bile rise in his throat, but it comes out as a heated gag reflex. Madoka is not only appalled, but he's disgusted at the mere sight of breasts, which confuses him.

Minato and Misaji stare at him in amusement and Madoka can't even comprehend why the latter thinks it's funny. Minato looked at Misaji incredulously and cried out "I told you she was ugly." Because he thinks that could be the only reason why his brother gagged so violently.

Misaji crossed his arms, annoyed enough to tell Madoka that this conversation wasn't new. "Stop judging women based on how they look. You're lucky she was even nice enough to pose this way and degrade herself for money."

 _Misaji. Always the charmer._ Charming enough to knock someone up.

He wants to say that it's not her face that made him gag. In fact, Madoka doesn't think it's possible to gag at any human being's face. It's just...it's something...he can't place it.

"Anyway…" Misaji trailed, eyeing his brother with concern, "Just turn the page. I don't want him sick before school."

And Minato complies because he doesn't want that either. It's all set in their minds that since Madoka doesn't have problems, he's the last hope of the family. Madoka was appalled by the next images in the porn magazine. He really didn't understand how women could just show their vaginas to the world. He was even more confused at how they could stretch themselves. And he and his brothers sat awwing at the pictures. Misaji and Minato voiced what they would do with the women when they met them or how pretty they were, but the youngest had nothing to say. He just didn't find anything attractive.

Minato turned the page again and both he and Misaji blanched this time around. Madoka stared at the picture of the naked man, his eyes lingering on his dick more than anything. He didn't gag at this picture, but he was openly shocked at how well he took it. But why wouldn't he take it well? The model was... _cute._ Madoka found him attractive and that confused him. Boys didn't find boys attractive, _did they?_

Apparently, they did, because now Minato was doing his best to flip through the magazine's 'Gay' section quickly. But Madoka's eyes searched. He had seen it all. Men kissing each other. Men putting their dicks in each other. He's fascinated by the new concept.

Minato's words when they finally get past the gay section makes his brother shrink into himself. "How can boys kiss boys? How can boys even find other boys attractive? It's gross and disgusting."

Misaji rolled his eyes. "People can like who they like. It doesn't matter what gender, skin tone, or any other difference. Betsy raised us and she had it rough. So did tousan. You should be more considerate."

Bless the angel that Misaji had always been, but it doesn't make Madoka feel any better about himself. Here, in the middle of his brothers, he feels exposed. He feels like they know and they saw him looking at those pictures with moist lips. They would hate him.

"So this is the reason you aren't eating what Betsy is cooking."

Before either triplet could turn, Maso's fist came down on the closest boys' heads. Madoka and Minato. He slammed his fist on Misaji's soon after. "This is why we have a little critter running around here in the first place. Go eat! And Madoka, you better be out of here in the next ten minutes. Don't skip class."

Madoka can only shake his head absentmindedly because there was only one word going through his mind as he left.

 _Faggot. He was what the bullies called smaller boys at school. A fucking faggot._

* * *

 _Shinjuku High School_

 _Kabukichō, Tokyo, Japan_

 _April 14, 1970_

God had a way of proving his children right. But God also took the time to prove he was right as well. He wanted Madoka to know that the sixteen-year-old was gay. And he wanted to do it inside the boy's locker room after soccer practice.

Madoka was forced to shower with the rest of the team, as demanded by coach Inuzuka, the tough woman. He had been absentmindedly scrubbing his sweaty body, trying hard not to think about the things he saw earlier that morning when he heard humming beside him.

The boy next to him, a senior and the star of their team, Genma Shiranui, was humming to himself quietly, a tune Madoka didn't really care for. The brown haired teen's eyes were closed and he still had that toothpick in his mouth. He was two years older than Madoka, ready to graduate, and he had the body to prove it. Madoka noted that he was toned and tall, and different than all the rest of them. And then there was the lower half of his body, which was different from what he saw in the porn magazine.

Genma's penis had a thick base and tip and it was shaved. It hung lowly by his thighs and Madoka stopped rubbing his scalp to stare. He didn't even notice Genma turn to look at him. Not until the senior coughed.

Madoka blushed terribly, embarrassed. Always the sensitive child, tears pricked at his eyes, itching them. God, he was so disgusting. So gross. So vile. Like Minato had said.

He didn't finish scrubbing the soap from his head. He didn't even turn off his shower head. He left without a word or glance at the boy who was staring after him with a soft smile.

It took another ten minutes for the entire locker room to clear. Only when Madoka was sure that he was the last boy left did he finally look away from his book and unwrap the towel from his waist. He wanted to dress quickly and leave then. Go home and sulk in his bed and not even talk to Betsy Basan.

"Hey."

He tensed, his muscles locking in place as footsteps padded closer. Turning slightly, he watched Genma stare him down, a soft scowl on the handsome teen's face.

Madoka said nothing, only looked at his towel on the bench. Genma was naked and he didn't want to look at him. He had already been caught.

"Hi." He whispered, embarrassed. Genma would probably attack him for staring at him like that. After all, it was wrong to think a boy attractive if you were a boy.

"If I came over and kissed you, would you kiss back?"

Madoka turned an even deeper shade of red and his chest grew hot. And that was all Genma needed to move even closer. Close enough to put his face near Madoka's and his hands on the side of the sophomore's head.

"Why would I kiss you? Why would you even think about kissing me?"

"Because…" Genma said, confused by the questions. "You're gay. I'm gay. And it seemed like a good idea in my head. Sorry, I'm just going with it now."

"I'm not gay." Madoka hissed, offended and hostile. "I'm not a faggot!"

Genma raised a brow. "You know….for a boy...you're really pretty. Even when you're mad. Even when you say dumb stuff like that." Madoka blushed even harder. "You sure you aren't gay?"

" Yes. I'm sure."

Genma moved the toothpick from between his lips. "You've had the time and space to leave from this spot. So with that said….I'm gonna kiss you now."

It made no sense to him. None of this did. But Genma kissed him anyway. It's hot and wet and Madoka is offended, but it doesn't stop him from kissing back. This is new, but he wants to feel what those men feel in the pictures. The session is heated, and Madoka is a mess as Genma skillfully jerks him off.

"You ever had sex before?" Genma is asking, moving hair from in front of Madoka's eyes.

And the day Madoka Namikaze finds out he's gay is the same day he's fucked violently against his locker in the boy's locker room by a senior on his soccer team.

Madoka, who was not like the rest, was new to the circumstances, but this, what Genma was doing felt really good after it didn't burn and stretch and hurt his stomach.

And Genma is skilled, he's certain of it. He's somehow managed to snap Madoka's body forward like a stick. The locker is supporting the Namikaze in the air well because Genma holds Madoka's pale legs tightly around his waist.

He should have been home two hours ago now, but...but... _fuck._

Genma isn't much of a mess, but Madoka's half-lidded eyes watch him in a daze when he says stupid shit out of his mouth.

"Oh fuck you feel so good."

And Madoka hopes so. He remembers that Minato and Misaji used to come here with him all the time and he remembers them being the most desirable in their year.

Even though he looks just like Misaji, his brother is more firm and built than he, a sign of hard work around the house. And Madoka's body is lithe and weak and not even soccer can make him _not_ look like a fucking girl. All he has is that pretty face and those pretty eyes that belong to Misaji.

Minato was the most desirable. Every Japanese girl liked his blond hair and his 'striking blue eyes' that Madoka remembers calling beetle eyes. Apparently, according to Betsy, some Americans desire Japanese as much as some Japanese desire those European looks. Madoka calls it bullshit and he likes that Betsy takes his side and blames all those girls' crushes on Imperialism.

He's stupid. Not even at school can he get out of the frightening hole that is 'the great Minato and Misaji….and then there's Madoka.' He isn't like them, and that makes him feel weird. Misaji has a child, he isn't gay. And Minato has voiced how he feels. But if they were gay and still went to this school, would Genma notice them?

He only moans and does not voice his thoughts but is surprised when Genma pulls out fully and strikes back in with a full blow. Madoka screams and scratches on the senior's shoulder.

"Easy there."

"Sorry." He pants, but he doesn't mean it because Genma is still slamming into him with the strength of a lion.

"Seinaru kuso. I've always seen you and your brothers around, but you…." He's panting hard, licking Madoka's neck when he's out of breath. "You caught my attention when you were in ninth year. Ngh."

And Madoka doesn't know what to say to that. He's always seen himself as not having anyone, so he's confused and perplexed. But even in the heat of fucking him like a rabid dog, Genma looks to be telling the truth.

"Really?"

"Really."

And he's so serious, it scares Madoka. On the day that Madoka Namikaze finds out he's gay, he's fucked senseless in the boy's locker room with it in his mind that Betsy is probably worried sick. But there's something else there.

He's disgusted with himself. He's gay and gross and….ill. He's worried that Minato, his beloved brother, would hate him if he ever so much as looked at a man. He's worried that Maso will turn away. After all, Madoka is supposed is the last hope. What would a marine want with a faggot for a son?

He's scared. He doesn't want his family to hate him. Yes, they annoy him at times, but he loves them. He cherishes them because already the world is cruel. And he doesn't want to be hated.

When they're done, Genma is dressing and Madoka is dressing even faster. He doesn't say a word, but he can't tolerate the glances the older teen sends his way.

So his next words are cut carefully from the fabric of his tongue. He has one shot to say what he wants and make it clear. "This..never….it never happened. I won't talk about it so you don't need t-to worry."

Fuck, why was he so weak? Why couldn't he be like his brothers? Like his father?

Genma is almost pouting now and it looks stupid on a guy like him. "I never said-"

"Wasurete kudasai." He didn't beg because then he would look even weaker. He asked with enough seriousness that made Genma stare defeated and shocked by his sudden change.

He doesn't wait to listen to Genma, opting to use the teen's silence as an escape. He's gone, running home before Genma can call out for him before Betsy can curse his name to Maso again before the sun notices the horizon of Tokyo.

* * *

The house is the same when he gets back. It's still in a ruckus, but the ruckus has moved to the kitchen. Kaito is loud in his high chair, whining for the attention of his young father; Misaji is helping Maso set the table; Betsy is watching the oven; and Minato is at the table already, waiting for his meal in silence, his eyes closed to ignore his nephew.

It's so similar to this morning that Madoka just wants to cry and weep and tell them that he's sorry he couldn't be what they all asked for.

Maso is the first to notice his slithe son, standing by the kitchen doorway, backpack slung over his shoulder sloppily. Hair tousled; lips swollen; staring as if he had been caught in the act of something sinister.

Madoka's grip tightens on his bag as his moments with Genma are replayed. and he musters up the courage to say "I'm not really hungry tonight."

And he steps away, ready for his room, trying to ignore the concerning stares of Betsy and Misaji.

Maso tries to ask him if he's alright because he knows his son and Madoka knows that much. Madoka knows that Maso saw the faint remains of tears. But he knows that Maso will be forced by Betsy to give the teen time if anything. And just as the former Marine began, Madoka was already in his room, tearing off his clothes and ripping them apart as silent as God would let.

He dived onto his bed, thinking about how stupid and worthless he was. He would never be what any of them wanted. And he had hurt Genma-san's feelings. The look in those sand eyes when he asked him to forget about it all.

 _But you, you caught my attention when you were in ninth year._

God, he's stupid. So stupid for being reckless and so stupid for being mean to the teen. Not a shady bone in Genma's body, Madoka fooled him first and ran away.

Society's binary perspective of sexuality and gender was shoved down his throat the day he was born, making it confusing. Blue is for boys and pink is for girls, all that bullshit that wasn't supposed to matter but it did. It did. It did. It did. He hated that. Society walked into the room, a smile on its face to tell Madoka that it's been waiting a while for this moment.

It tells Madoka that it met Misaji when he got that woman pregnant and it met Minato in a corner store at gunpoint.

Madoka, who wasn't like them, has taken a while to finally meet Society for what it was.

Please feel free to be yourself, as long as it's in the right way. Make sure you love your body, not too much or I will tear you down. You can fall in love, but since you're a man, it has to be a woman. You're not allowed to cry because boys don't do that silly shit.

Madoka lays down on the bed, trying to decipher why he was the way he was and how to change it. But nothing helps, and it was easier to curl into a ball and wish he was dead.

He wasn't confused at all. He was petrified.

* * *

 _Maso Namikaze's home_

 _Kabukichō, Tokyo, Japan_

 _April 26, 1970_

It's a Saturday night when the terror begins. Madoka is at home talking to Genma on the phone in his room. He remembers telling the teen to forget about him, but they had seen one another two days after their first encounter and Madoka made the first move. Maybe he couldn't resist the sex, maybe he enjoyed talking to Genma. Whatever it was, the two had been seeing each other secretly for the past weeks, mindlessly fucking in the school bathroom, after school at Genma's house, anywhere that wasn't close to his family.

It's after two weeks the terror begins. When family shifts into something Betsy tried her best not to make happen.

Minato hasn't been home for a few days now and that doesn't stop the Namikazes from doing what they always do: get by.

Betsy is ready to cook dinner, Maso is hovering by her and they're talking about something that only they're able to talk about: old times.

Misaji is asleep in Madoka's room because to him 'the room doesn't follow the stuffy spring temperature.' And Madoka is being forced to come out of his room and go the grocery store.

He sighs dramatically and says goodbye to his 'friend' before Maso comes in and gives a good beating.

Betsy is already waiting for him by the door. She hands him money and a list. Madoka's eyes light up when he sees that she'll be making her signature Gumbo.

"Okay." He mutters, slipping on his shoes. "I'll be back in ten minutes."

"Come?"

On the ground and his damn leg is Kaito, Misaji's whiny son. His tiny arms have a tight grip on Madoka's shin and he's hugging it, sitting on the floor in just a diaper.

"What?"

"Come, Oji?"

"You want to come with me?"

Kaito nods sharply, smiling innocently at his uncle. And he's so cute that Madoka won't resist the brat. So he takes times to get his nephew's stroller ready and then he takes time to get the boy some clothes on.

Then they're off, ready for the grocery store, neither boy nor teen expecting what could come.

See, the terror doesn't begin in the sweet home of Maso Namikaze that smells of food and flowers on the wooden table.

The terror begins two streets over when Madoka is walking back into the sunset. Kaito is singing something to himself in his stroller, half lyrical genius, half gibberish.

"I like my sippy cup. My sippy cup goes up. And give me juice. I like it. My cup. My sippy cup…"

And Madoka is watching the sun fall asleep. He's not watching the three boys on his soccer team that have been following him around.

Not until they speak. "Hey, faggot!"

The teen stops abruptly, his shoulders tense. The world is silent besides Kaito's faint singing as he is oblivious.

Madoka makes the mistake of turning around on. When he sees his teammates, Madoka frowns slightly. "Excuse me?"

They walk a little closer and his grip tightens on the stroller. "No excuse me." One says. He turns to his friends. "Guys, I wasn't lying when I said I heard Genma-captain in the locker room with this kid. Namikaze kid. A fucking rapist."

* * *

 _Maso Namikaze's home_

 _Kabukichō, Tokyo, Japan_

 _April 26, 1970_

Misaji Namikaze has his own shit to deal with. But it doesn't stop him from trying to keep his brothers safe and out of society's way.

He's a simple teen with a simple mind even if his family tries to complicate him. The kid laying on his chest now has a lot to do with that.

As if God could make things easy though, Kaito is smart just like his daddy. The only thing he got from his mother was her red hair and those weird eyes that looked purple in the sun but were really hazel.

Misaji comes from an already dysfunctional heritage. His father is a walking corpse. His mother is nonexistent and no one wants to hold on to the memory of Linda Patterson, not even Betsy who clung to 'your mother was a good person' like a coat.

His older brother is doing God knows what in the streets and his younger brother is a silent depressive teen around the house.

He doesn't know what happened two weeks ago, but Madoka has changed a lot.

There's a curse that Namikaze men that can't keep a woman in their arms for more than a few heated nights. And so far, it's fairing to be true.

Because Linda left Maso and Fusō left Misaji with their son.

It's his fault for even going to the brothel where he met Fusō in the first place. Uzumaki women were common there because Minato, the disrespectful little shit, said that was all "Uzumaki girls are good for."

Deadbeat or not, Misaji won't ever talk down on the mother of his child. It's wrong and petty and low and he hates holding grudges. She had shit to deal with too.

So Misaji was from an odd family. But to impregnate a prostitute and nearly 'inspire' his brother to do the same was an all-time low. What scared him was that Minato had been eyeing an upcoming prostitute by the name of 'Habanero,' despite the claim that Uzumaki girls were bad luck. He's scared for Minato.

Because that would mean another kid to care for and another mother that can't due to her own circumstances.

Misaji doesn't want that. It's hard enough as it is and the house is getting smaller.

His little brother is gay and he's hiding it well. But not well enough for Misaji.

Misaji sighed, hugging his two-year-old son to his chest, begging silently that the boy not grow up like them.

"Mommy," Kaito whined, his feet hitting his father's chest. "I get down now."

Misaji frowned. "Dammit, kid, how the hell do you keep getting this mixed up? I'm a daddy."

Somewhere in the house, he can hear Betsy call "watch that mouth of your, Saji."

And he smirked. Life really was simple. Or maybe life was complicated, but Misaji had endless solutions. Either way, he was winning.

He watches Kaito leave the room with determination and he hears Maso yelling for Madoka to hurry to the store. And then he sees darkness.

* * *

The next time he wakes up is abrupt and only an hour later. When he wakes up, he expects to sit at the table because dinner is ready.

He doesn't expect to hear that his son, Kaito Namikaze, has died on his way to the hospital.

His skull had been crushed by trampling. Misaji is too confused on his way to the hospital to cry or speak because he doesn't believe it's true. It can't be. What did Kaito ever do to someone to be killed?

It's not true, he tells himself.

But when he sees Madoka laying in the hospital room and barely holding on, it must be true.

Madoka tells them he was attacked by some bullies from school and he swears, with tears leaking down his eyes that he tried with his might to stop them when they focused on Kaito.

They were holding him down when one of the boys noticed Kaito whining in his seat.

 _He's going to be a faggot too._

And he tried. Tried so hard that he ripped his arm out of his socket.

 _Leave him alone! Leave him alone! Leave him alone!_

Madoka is heartbroken and he tells his family that Kaito is dead because of him. That the boys attacked because they knew he was gay.

He tells the names of the boys who attacked and the last boy is the one that stomped Kaito's head rapidly and continuously until it was just blood and debris:

 _Dai Igarashi_

 _Eita Igarashi_

 _Riku Shiranui_

And Misaji jumps on his brother, hugging him and crying harder than anyone. Telling Madoka that he would never blame him. That it's not his fault.

He's hurt. God knows it. To lose someone of his blood and see his brother fighting death too is heartbreaking. He wants his son even if he wasn't in his life that much. He wants his brother back before he dies too.

Life is complicated. It really is. The child at the morgue proves that. Madoka wishing he was dead himself proves it. Minato not knowing because he's not there proves it. Betsy weeping and Maso trying to be strong proves this.

And Misaji doesn't know how to fix this.

* * *

 _Maso Namikaze's home_

 _Kabukichō, Tokyo, Japan_

 _June 1971_

 _Named after a great leader._

So why couldn't he just provide for his family better? If he were doing bigger jobs for the Yakuza crime syndicate, then he would get paid more.

If he was home, he would have never let his brother leave the house a year ago.

Everything is different. Madoka wasn't the same. And neither was Misaji. They were following his path.

And Kaito?

He was being forgotten like a dream. His soul could not be rocked, but instead roamed in loneliness. It was alive and on its own. It was a dry thing that made the sound of one's own feet walking seem to come from a far-off place.

Everyone remembered what he was called, but no one wanted to remember his name. Disremembered and unaccounted for, Kaito could not be lost because no one was looking for him. They forgot him in their mourning. Those neighbors that saw the child quickly and deliberately forgot him. It took longer for the Namikazes, those who had lived with Kaito, spoken with him, fallen in love with him, to forget. Until they realized they couldn't remember or repeat a single word he said.

Occasionally, though, there was a rustle in the breeze that told Misaji that his late son was there. But...it was not a story to be passed on.

In the future, Nagato Namikaze, born and abandoned by the same Fusō woman would know himself as an only child.

* * *

 _Kinokuniya Supermarket_

 _Minato, Tokyo, Japan_

 _January 6, 2005_

"Dad. Are you alright?" Karin questioned when her father stopped to stand in the aisle. He seemed stricken all of a sudden and the woman stopped the cart to stare at him.

"Dad?" She called again. Still, he said not a word and it was beginning to annoy him. Why did she always have to babysit her dad? He may have been old, but he was fully capable of taking care of himself. He was capable of going shopping without her company or assistance.

It wasn't that she disliked going out with her father. Not at all. Madoka was covered from face to toe with tattoos that not only proved his loyalty to the Yakuza but also to the Namikaze cartel. He looked dangerous, but that didn't stop Karin from knowing that her father was always a sensitive man, just like her. She liked how he looked and ever since she was a child, she never minded the stares they got. It also wasn't that she didn't enjoy his company. Karin didn't really have a lot to do on days, and neither did her father. And they got along well since he did raise her as a single father. She owed him a lot. She loved him a lot.

She could be doing a lot right now instead of standing around waiting for him to stop staring off into the distance. What was he staring at anyway? The woman followed his shocked gaze and her brows furrowed when they landed in the deli section of the market.

A man was there, staring back at them with a gaze as equally as shocked as Madoka's. His hair was brown and shoulder length and his eyes were brown like a mass amount of honey. Around his head was a headband and he seemed to be older than her, maybe her father's age. The woman blinked rapidly at him, trying to decipher who he was, regardless of the fact that she had never seen him before. His eyes roamed to her and he looked down, away from Madoka and toward the items on sale.

It finally snapped Madoka out of his gaze and he turned around. "Come, Karin. That's enough shopping for today."

She complied, turning their cart around and following him. "Dad...who was that man? You know the guy you were just staring at?"

Since she was a child, her father had a way of evading her pestering questions. He would give her a look, a mug as if to to to tell her that he'd whoop her ass. And the look, always the same, said different things.

When she threw a tantrum in the store because she wanted something, he'd give her a look that said ' _You can act out in front of these people all you want. But remember that they won't go home with us. And they don't need to see you get whooped.'_

This time, he gave her the look, but it said ' _not now, not ever.'_

"Just an old enemy."

"Bu-"

"But nothing, Karin. Let's go."

And the woman stayed quiet for the rest of their time in the store. When they were leaving, her father stopped again. Not by his own accord, however. He was grabbed, gently and firmly. The tattooed man turned, offended and shocked, to the same man that had been staring at him in the store.

And he hissed. "Let. Go. Of. Me. _Now._ "

"I want to talk to you." The man pleaded.

Madoka tore his arm away. "Well, I don't want to speak with you."

Madoka began walking away again, but the mysterious man once again grabbed at him. Karin growled, letting go of the cart to push the man away. "He doesn't want to talk to you so leave him alone before I _fuck_ you up."

The woman's language is vulgar and harsh and the man is openly shocked at her. But something happens that is so weird. The man raises a hand to touch her, sympathy and remorse in his eyes. And he whispers "Karin-"

"Let's go, Karin!"

She's too shocked that the man knows her name to even move, so Madoka is the one to grab at her. They head to the car as silent as ever. Karin is confused. And her father is seething.

* * *

She doesn't understand why he's so upset. She doesn't understand who that man was. And she doesn't understand why he knows her name.

Her father is sitting at the table quiet now, speaking on the phone with Uncle Misaji, and venting about the man he's dubbed as "that man." Karin is putting the food up, but she knows that Misaji is trying to calm Smoke down. She wants to listen in, but Madoka is smart. He's not saying anything that will even let her know what's going on.

 _That man saw me in the supermarket._

 _What's he doing here? I thought he moved to America years ago._

 _He harassed me…..no I don't want to kill him...I'm just venting._

Karin is disturbed and she wants to know what happened. So when she's done putting the food up, she goes to stand in the living room doorway and watch her father. Madoka is smart and he notices her before she even steps foot in the vast room.

 _I will call later. Bye, love you too, Saji._

"Dad," she began. She doesn't need to finish though because it's obvious what she wants. She wants to know who that man is and how he knows her.

Madoka is already upset. "Look. He used to be a family friend, okay? But his brother Riku did something very horrible to this family."

She wants to know what this Riku guy did.

"And he's been trying to make up for that ever since. But I'm loyal to this family and this family only. And because of his brother, he needed to be let go."

Madoka seems sad now and she wants to know what's really in his head.

"You will understand that this family is the only thing that needs to be valued, Karin. And that's the end of it."

She sighed. "Yes, father." She stood at full then. "Now that we're done shopping, I'm going to go over Naruto's house. Do you want to come?"

He's upset. "No, I'm fine. Love you."

"I love you too, dad."

* * *

 _Namikaze school of youth_

 _Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan_

 _January 6, 2005_

Naruto built the school an entire year ago and it's being run well. On the outside, it seemed like a regular school of charity. Since, its debut, the purpose of the school was to bring in children from the local orphanage and teach them for free.

Naruto had asked some of the best teachers to work there, persuading them with big money contracts. The school had various subjects: math, foreign language, writing, engineering, social studies, advanced science courses, photography, painting, and many other subjects that made the Namikaze school of youth one of Tokyo's top three schools.

And then there was the silent subject that no one talked or raved about because no one knew about it: The school of hitmen.

Naruto was a charitable man, a real robin hood to the poor, but sometimes, his charities benefited him more than anything. The students that attended the school of youth were orphans, abandoned by their parents and society.

Naruto wasn't cruel. He gave every kid that stepped foot in their a choice: They can continue to attend the school, get credits, graduate, and go to college. Or they could attend the school, get credits, graduate, and become hitmen.

So the choice was theirs: College or killing.

And Nagato wasn't surprised that some kids chose to attend the school of hitmen. To them, Naruto was their hero. He had power and fame around Japan and some of them were eager to be a part of that. Kids of all ages too, from six years old to seventeen. Naruto helped them all and they helped back. Hitmen could be replaced: and the people replacing them were the kids in this school, created and funded by Naruto Namikaze.

And the man in charge of making sure this school was working properly was his older cousin, Nagato "bullet" Namikaze.

Nagato smirked at the whispers of the kids as he moved around the large beautiful school. From the stem department, through the art department, past the history and language department, across the athletic department, and finally to the school of hitmen, all of them said the same thing.

 _Hey, bullet's here._

 _Did you hear? Bullet came to visit again._

 _Naruto-sama's brother is here._

Nagato stood in the back of the hitmen school watching the kids in the field and the instructors telling them how to hold a gun, how to hit a target, and loyalty to the cartel. There's no one more loyal to Naruto Namikaze than this generation of kids….well, besides Sasuke Uchiha.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Nagato notices a few kids in a circle, staring at a target and debating. One of the smaller ones catches his eye. He's babbling, maybe ranting, his orange hair flying all over the place. When he was smiling big, his eyes were squinted, but when he opened them to tell the other kids how great he was, Nagato could see that they were a soft brown.

He wore a short black shirt robe with green trimmings, dark pants, a black and white belt that was tied in front with a mesh shirt underneath.

And he looked so happy. So happy and free and it reminded Nagato of Naruto when he was younger. Quiet yes, but always happy with himself.

The boy was proud of himself for something, but Nagato noticed that he wasn't paying attention to anything or anyone, not even the instructors.

"You know." The boy smiles. "Before all these guns were created, the Edo period was known for their duels in swordsmanship. I'm the greatest ever with a sword. I'm just like Miyamoto Musashi."

One of the kids speak up in awe. "Who's that?"

And the boy gave out a perverted smile. "The greatest Japanese swordsman to ever live. He fought over sixty duels and was never defeated. I'm just like him. The best with a sword."

Nagato's had enough with this kid already. "But a sword won't help you against a bullet, which is why you should be paying attention here."

The kids turned and upon seeing him, awwed. "It's bullet." One of them whispered.

The little boy, however, scowled softly at him. "Of course I pay attention, old man. I'm the best dueller in this school."

He raised a brow at the child. And he could tell the boy that he was only 26, but idiot wouldn't care. "Really?"

"Yeah! I'm better than you."

Nagato sneered. "Alright. Then you wouldn't mind a duel with me then. I'm not the best with a gun, but I'm an expert. You _should_ be able to beat me."

"Of course I would. But what's in it for me?"

"Eh?"

"What do I get if I win, old man?"

Nagato crossed his arms. "Stop calling me that. And what would you like if you win?"

"I want to meet Ōmo." The boy stated instantly, a smirk on his face. He was determined, Nagato would give him that, even if he was an idiot.

"Sure." The others gasped. "But if I win, I want you to leave this school for good. I'll even register you in a public school."

The boy smirked at him. "Deal."

The guns used in the school of hitmen aren't real because Naruto doesn't want the kids to be exposed to the harshness of life yet. They're advanced paintball guns with the power of a real gun, but not the danger of it.

Nagato and the boy are given makeshift pistols and Nagato makes Kankuro, one of Naruto's uprising hitmen, the challenger.

"Since I didn't believe you when you said you pay attention, I'll give you the rules. In the case of pistol duels, we each fire one shot. If neither of us is hit and if the challenger is satisfied, the duel will be declared over. If the challenger isn't satisfied, a pistol duel could continue until one man was wounded or killed. But to have more than three exchanges of fire is considered barbaric and, on the rare occasion that no hits are achieved, somewhat ridiculous. But that shouldn't be a problem for you, eh?"

The boy nodded and stood proud of himself. Nagato wouldn't play games with him. "Your shot first, kiddo." he's baiting him and is almost glad the kid catches that.

"No. We shoot at the same time. Those are the rules."

Nagato smiled. "Alright on three. One.." the boy clutches the paintball gun. "Two" his innocent eyes narrowed. "Three."

They shoot at the same time and, surprisingly, in the same way. The boy falls back on his ass and Nagato glowers in disappointment, turning and spotting the boy's mark on the wall behind him. His own mark, yellow paint, is right in the middle of the boy's head.

He looked to Kankuro, who also stared disappointed. "Satisfied."

Nagato sits the gun on the floor. "I don't need to be a hitman. I'm already a voluntary assassin of the Namikaze cartel." He pointed to the side of his face. "This shrapnel isn't the only reason they call me Bullet."

The boy is still on the floor, clutching the gun tightly, his palms shaking.

"Well. A deal's a deal. You leave today. Don't come back to this school."

" _No."_

"Sumimasen?"

The child lifted his head. "I said No! I worked too hard to be here! I won't give up!"

Nagato sneered. "Oh, you're leaving. Even if you don't have to leave alive."

Swiftly, Nagato pulled a pistol from the waistline of his pants. This one all real, metal and full of lead bullets.

Kankuro blinked, stepping forward as the boy's eyes widened. "Nagato, what? Yahiko is just a stupid kid!" So that was his name. "You can't be serious! Are you crazy?"

He looked toward Kankuro, a devilish grin plastered like paste on him. "I'm a Namikaze aren't I?"

He looked back at Yahiko and stopped suddenly. The boy, who was a coward, is sitting there with tears so deep in his eyes, it reminds Nagato of the ocean, soft and afraid of the things in them. He's Naruto for a moment and that in itself is enough for Nagato to lower his pistol. He's just a boy now. All he is is a stupid boy.

* * *

 _Kabukichō, Tokyo, Japan_

 _1989_

" _How come Naruto gets the last popsicle?" Karin asked, enraged and offended. Nagato had brought them back to the house days ago, and Naruto, who was shy, didn't want to gobble them up so quickly even if he was hungry at times. Karin felt that since Nagato had offered, she didn't feel imposed to pass up the offer._

 _She had eaten about 90 percent of them, and Madoka could prove it with the popsicle papers filtered around her room._

 _Naruto was sitting in the living room on the floor quietly with his toy train, oblivious to the heated argument in the kitchen. "Because you ate most of them and he hasn't had one." Nagato warned._

 _She sneered softly. "Well, he shouldn't be so scared. It's not his fault he's scared to ask for something."_

 _Nagato sneered too. God, she was a damn pain, but he loved her. "It's not his fault that he's so generous and you're a mean old hag in a nine-year-old body."_

 _Karin Namikaze did as Karin Namikaze does. She stuck out her tongue as a way to win the argument, her eyes squinted shut in defiance. When she opened them, however, Nagato was gone. Instead, he was standing over Naruto with the grape popsicle in his hand._

 _Naruto, who was so shy and innocent looked up at at the teen with confusion in his eyes. Karin didn't understand why the boy was such a wimp. It was confusing._

 _In the living room, Naruto looked up in confusion, his blue eyes big as they wavered from the frozen treat to Nagato._

 _Nagato crouched low, a soft smile in his eyes. "Take it." He whispered._

 _Hesitantly, Naruto reached out his small hand and took the sweet. He opened it and took a small bite before smiling at Nagato brightly. "Thank you." He whispered back._

" _No problem, kid."_

 _Before Naruto could take another bite, the popsicle was snatched from his hands. He looked up abruptly, finding Karin standing over them. She was squeezing the treat so tight, it broke in her hands._

" _You don't deserve this!" She scolded. "You're too weak and shy to even ask for anything. Why don't you stand up for yourself."_

 _The six-year-old growled, but it came out like a cub's roar. "Give it back." But there were tears in his eyes that made him look weak._

 _Karin sighed. "Don't you see what I'm trying to do for you? I w-"_

" _Godammit, Karin!"_

 _Karin dropped the popsicle and held her face. It stung so bad that tears pricked at her eyes. Nagato had never so much as lashed out at him. She always messed with Naruto, and yes Nagato would take the blond's side, but this never happened._

 _Nagato didn't so much as glance at her. He only crouched back down to Naruto again, trying to comfort the sad boy. "Hey, Naruto, it's okay. Don't cry. We're gonna go out now and get more okay. I have a few yen left."_

 _Karin's eyes brimmed with tears. "Why did you hit me?! I was only trying to make him tougher."_

" _No!" Nagato yelled, his voice rising. "You bully him because you're afraid of who you are! You're scared that everyone will see how weak you are, so you mess with a six-year-old that does nothing to no one!"_

 _He turned back to Naruto, rubbing the boy's shoulder. Karin sneered, angry that she was found out so quickly. "You always take his side! You've always liked him more than me!"_

 _And it was so true that Nagato was ashamed and couldn't deny it._

* * *

Nagato sighed. "The only thing you're worth is the paint on your head. These bullets can't save who you are."

There's a heavy relief in the room that cannot be silenced. Nagato's surprised that they're surprised. He doesn't care how old anyone is. If they're brave enough to talk shit, they're brave enough to take a bullet.

He stares at the crying boy. "Come with me, now."

* * *

The car ride to the orphanage is silent. Yahiko is in the backseat of his car, nearly shaking and Nagato prays he hasn't shit himself. His seats are as white as snow and he loves the luxury vehicle.

Nagato sighs. "You hungry, kid?"

Yahiko says nothing, but Nagato stops for food anyway, and he doesn't miss the way Yahiko gobbles up the food quickly.

The orphanage that Yahiko resides in is an entire thirty minutes away from the Namikaze school of youth. It's in Suginami, so maybe Yahiko wasn't lying when he said he had worked too hard to even get there.

Nagato pulls up in the orphanage and when he looks in the mirror, back at the boy, he is looking bewildered and surprised. He probably thought Nagato was taking him somewhere quiet where he could kill him. For a while, before he had seen Naruto in the kid, he was going to.

Trying not to think about how heartless he is, Nagato opens his door and steps out. "Come on, kid."

The walk to the door from the parking lot is even quieter than the car ride. Not even the boy's steps could be heard and Nagato checked twice to make sure Yahiko didn't run off.

"You know...I don't want to see you at my school again, okay? That school isn't made for cowards. That school is made for kids who _want_ to be killers and murderers. I know you're young, but the world is a dangerous place. It's better to learn these things at a young age, but if you can't handle that...we don't need you."

Nagato opens the door, blinking at how quiet it is. Maybe it's supper time for the children. On cue, an elderly woman comes from the back and Nagato doesn't miss the way Yahiko flinches in embarrassment.

She spots Nagato. "Konnichiwa, Namikaze-san." And then she sees the boy he's holding onto like a wild animal. She sighs, disappointed. "Yahiko." She mutters.

Nagato practically throws the boy on her. "This boy is not allowed back at the school of youth."

The woman frowned softly. "Please go eat, Yahiko." The boy looks at Nagato one last time and storms away, not in anger, but in a hurry, like he doesn't want to be seen.

His work done, Nagato is ready to leave this odd adventure behind. But the woman speaks softly that he stops. "Please forgive him, Namikaze-san. That boy is a troubled child. From the very beginning."

"Really?"

"Yes. He's only six and his pain is more real than anything I've ever been through."

Nagato is intrigued now, and he blames God for this. "Tell me more?"

And she does. She tells him about how Yahiko had come into the orphanage when he was only five. He had been with his mother when they were robbed and she was shot in the face in their home. She tells him how he works hard, but can't seem to push himself beyond what he already knows. He's a weakling and he's quiet; a double threat in the world. And the kids in the orphanage like to bully him, which explains his tough guy persona at the school of youth. He's a lost cause that's gotten turned down by various families.

"So please forgive him." She whispers.

Nagato isn't a fool and he isn't a sympathetic person. After standing with this woman and learning about this kid for an hour, his first words are "He's still not coming back to my school. He's a punk."

She puts her head down. "I understand."

Nagato crossed his arms. "But since he's such a lost cause, I have no choice but to adopt him and take him under my wing."

The woman stares with surprise and Nagato gives her a big smile. "I'm sorry?"

"Considering that the adoption process is getting tougher, I know that it'll take time. So I'm counting on you to keep a watch on him for the time being. Don't let him get himself killed in the process and keep him in one piece, alright?"

There are tears in the woman's eyes now, but she's smiling, so Nagato feels that she is happy. "I will, sir. Thank you so much."

"No problem."

Nagato leaves the orphanage with ideas in his mind of how he can change the kid's life and inspire him to be something better. He thinking about how he'll get home and start his research on adoption. But then he's thinking that he'll go visit Naruto first.

* * *

 _Namikaze Household_

 _January 6, 2005_

Naruto rechecked his clothes before turning to Chouji and smirking. "There's no blood on me, is there?"

Chouji checks him over before shaking his head. "Me?"

"Not at all, Ōkina otoko. Come on."

When Naruto went upstairs, he didn't expect to see his kitchen full of so much life. Reo and Nagato are at the stove, obviously working together on cooking something. Nagato is making Reo laugh, a rare but beautiful sight to Naruto.

The dogs were moving around the table after one another, silently playing. And Naruto was glad to see Koshaku moving around on that broken leg of his. Rock Lee arrived early and Naruto watches him comically interact with Karin in their debate.

Karin must have been trying to convince him to become her new boyfriend because she leaned across the table toward him suggestively. And because Rock Lee is discreetly reminding her that several of her previous partners have all died mysteriously. And Karin is offended and says he's hideous anyway and she probably would kill him if they dated. And what makes Naruto smile is Rock Lee telling her that he has luck so bad, he'd actually survive.

Sasuke is at the table with them, and he's almost glaring at Karin because Naruto knows the raven thinks Mush, despite his luck, is the most adorable thing in the world after Saku. One of his sleeves is pulled down his arm and Saku is there to cover his mother's nipple as he greedily sucks the milk out of him.

Naruto is embarrassed. But dammit, he loves his family. All that was missing now was Sha, Shika, and B.

Sasuke notices them first and he smiles. "Chouji-san, you should stay for dinner. Oji's making his famous spicy Tilapia and you'd love it. Besides, we'll need a cook in the house to critique it."

Chouji says nothing and it makes Naruto have to look back at him. He looked rendered speechless with admiration when he saw the genuine smile of Sasuke, but quickly regained his composure and lavishly accepted the offer. "I would love to."

Dinner is jovial. Naruto is so happy that everyone is happy. He's worked hard on not only trying to make the lives of everyone better but always trying to create a tight-knit family of close friends too. He just wants what's best for everyone and seeing them all here, laughing and smiling, is almost like a dream beneath the clouds.

Suddenly, Karin stops and eyes the food on her plate. She looks to Naruto, who owns the house, and then to Nagato, who prepared the food. "Wait.." She states suspiciously. "This isn't another body, is it?"

Sasuke sputters, but only slightly, as Saku is still sucking the milk out of him. Before He can question the question, Naruto rolls his eyes at his cousin.

"No, you idiot. You _just watched_ the food get prepared. Besides. You thought the first body tasted like chicken. This is fish." His words are nonchalant and Sasuke remembers that he really did marry that handsome loving monster.

Karin sticks out her tongue. "Hoe."

"Bitch." Naruto counters.

Saku hums as if he knows what's going on before both Nagato and Sasuke hiss " _language"_ at once.

And then Sasuke remembers the question. "What do you mean _another_ body?"

Karin grimaces at the memory. "Long story short, I lost profit a while back, which I will say, my personal matters are much more important than our profit." Naruto rolls his eyes at that. "I was supposed to deliver 20 kilos of Gold Dust to Russia with a falcon, but I ended up having sex with him in the truck. We missed the shipment."

Sasuke blinked at how nonchalant Karin was about the whole ordeal. "20 kilos. That's ¥330 million. Goodness, Karin."

Naruto whispers so lowly under his breath that only Sasuke catches what he says. "Nerd." The raven blushed and reached over to pinch his husband's side.

Karin had missed the whole ordeal and continued. "I know. I know. I don't even have sex with people that quickly. But the guy was so nice. Naruto was mad about that, so he killed the guy. He said he couldn't kill me since I was family, but he and Nagato had fed me the guy two days after they killed him. Secretly of course. I don't just go around eating people. It's weird."

Sasuke only hums because he's too mature to point out how promiscuous she is. Because that isn't what she meant. Instead, he turns to Naruto and Chouji.

"Speaking of bodies. Naruto and Chouji, don't bring another body in this house. If you want to cut someone up, there are abandoned factories for that. I really don't want any kind of scents to come up here and get Saku sick, okay?"

Chouji is surprised by how well the Psycho takes having a body, two, in his basement and then he feels embarrassed that he didn't believe Naruto first hand when he said Sasuke would come around to liking him. But when Naruto smiles and says "Duly noted, beautiful," He nods too.

Sasuke eyes his husband. "And stop staring at me in front of everyone, Omo. It's weird."

Naruto smirked. "But you're so cute when you accept who I am."

The Leo smirked back. "I know."

They laugh quietly with one another and the sound is so cherishable that Saku too stops sucking and he giggles with them, his laughs sounding like a yearning.

Mush blinks. "So now that that's on the table, where do you want me to put the bodies boss." And damn, curse his luck.

Naruto looks at him incredulously as the others do.

"Oh come on, Lee. We're eating here."

And Karin. "I don't think it's the time and place for that, triple six." And Rock Lee resists the urge to say 'don't call me that.'

And Sasuke. "Leave him alone, Naruto."

He raises his hands in a surrender motion. "Sorry. I just thought that since it was okay for Karin to talk about how much she eats humans," Karin scowls, "And you chopping up bodies, finding a dump site wouldn't be hard to discuss. Apologies."

He's being sarcastic and Naruto's rumbling laugh makes them all laugh too. "You can put Camui wherever you want. But I want Ino's body parts outside of the local police station by Nagasaki University. Directly, outside where the cameras can spot it."

Rock Lee is baffled. "Why there?"

Naruto smirks. "Because I think Shino Aburame will be satisfied that his cousin's killer isn't on the run. Disturbed, yes, but even more satisfied."

The claim doesn't make Mush feel any better. "Don't worry about it. Knowing your luck, triple six, I'll have Sha go with since your luck'll get us pinched."

Rock Lee says it then. "Please don't call me that." He may be bad luck, but the nickname is leaning more toward an evil connotation. Mush is just fine.

Sasuke sighed. "Speaking of Sha, I forgot to mention that Bolade called yesterday and he says he can't find Sha anywhere."

Naruto smiles softly. "I wouldn't worry about Sha. She's tough. And she likes being alone at times. Besides, I ordered everyone to lay low anyway. She might be chilling around Shikamaru's house."

"Why?" Sasuke probes and Naruto doesn't see it as a big deal and he voices why.

"Sha and Shika have been great friends ever since they were 15 and 16."

Mush's head tilts and Sasuke cannot express how this man looks so much like a teen boy with his long lashes and wide eyes. "I thought you were Shikamaru's best friend. Were you replaced?"

 _No filter Mush_ is enough to make Naruto become offended quickly. "What? Of course not? Shikamaru and I will be the best of friends until the end of infinity." It's an odd thing to say, but since everyone's so happy, he doesn't care.

 _I don't know how to sleep, I gotta, eat, stay on my toes._

Naruto reaches for his phone, ignoring Karin's groan of his ringtone in the process. He smiled at the name. "See look. Nothing to worry about. Speak of Sweet Lips and she shall appear."

He picks up as Sasuke mutters something about how he's pretty sure the saying doesn't go like that. "Sha?" He questions.

Sha is crying on the phone is the first thing he notices when she coughs. His face becomes serious in a matter of seconds. He hasn't seen Sha cry since she was about 17 and told him that Bolade was cheating on her. So he's afraid.

"Sha? Are you alright? What's wrong?" There's the sound of glass smashing in the background. Things knocking over that should stay standing. He can hear vases and slamming and tussling.

" _Naruto."_ The woman cries on the phone. Her desperation is beyond fear and anxiety and Naruto knows that much. " _They'we fighting, Naruto! They'we going to kill each other!"_

"Sha." He stood from the now silent table, grabbing for his car keys on the countertop. "Who's fighting? You need to tell me what's going on."

She cries on the line and Naruto's heart shatters for his sister. " _Bolade and Shikama'u, Nawuto! They won't stop. I tried...I twied eve'ything I cou-"_ She cuts herself off when the fighting stops. " _Oh my god! He has a gun."_ And then she's not talking to Naruto anymore, but the men in the background. She's pleading and begging. He can still hear them fighting. " _Bolade, please think! Bolade, put it down! Put the gun down!"_

Silence is a nasty devil. It is never comforting. It comes in after a brief moment in history that changes a lot. The gunshot that Naruto hears in the background stops him by the door. And its loud enough for Sasuke to stand too, having heard from the table. His face full of concern before he says "Naruto." In a whisper as if the bullet will hit him.

Sha lets out a cry, so desperate and heartbreaking. " _Oh my God. Oh my God!"_ She crying. " _He shot him! He shot Shikamaru! He shot him! He shot him!"_ She repeats over and over and over because it's profound.

And Naruto drops his phone, his mind steering in one place as he races out the door without a word. He can hear the faint sounds of Sasuke calling him, but he can also hear the sounds of Shikamaru's heart, growing fainter by the moments he can't afford to lose.

* * *

 **Japanese words used here:**

Demo watashi wa tsukarete iru nda means "but I'm tired."

Mite mina means "Check it out." I simply enjoy the fact that while the original Namikaze trio is completely different, they still love each other very much.

Seinaru kuso means "holy shit." It's odd that you see these parts of.

Wasurete kudasai means "please forget about it." I was trying to imagine the pain and confusion and hurt Madoka was going through, battling his sexuality.

Kiddo means "kid."

Sumimasen translates to "excuse me."

Ōkina otoko means "big guy."

 **The title of the chapter is Kryptonite. Kryptonite is Superman's ultimate weakness or anything that causes someone's ultimate weakness. For example, the one food a person is seriously allergic to can be their Kryptonite. However, it is also a term used on the streets for Crack Cocaine.**

 **Here, we see many of our character's ultimate weaknesses. We know Sasuke's is the intersex problem, and Oji's is the Nagasaki bombing, but what of the others. Well, as we learned more of the Namikaze family, we found out that Madoka struggled with his sexuality as a teen, and as you saw, the memory was triggered by Genma, his ex. His weakness is his sexuality because he doesn't want his family to hate him. And he doesn't really know where he belongs.**

 **Misaji is almost telling a life's worth of a lie. Shocking news. Nagato isn't the only child of his. Kaito was his first child and Misaji was only fourteen when the baby was born, but the boy was killed back in 1970 due to a hate crime against Madoka. Misaji wants a solution for everything and that's his weakness.**

 **Minato's is short, but only because we've seen much of him in the previous chapters. It's clear that he wanted his family to strive, but he was involved in so much trouble that he couldn't make that happen.**

 **The new generation of the Namikaze trio is shockingly similar to their predecessors: Karin is afraid that people will know just how sensitive she is, according to the flashback Nagato has of Naruto, so she acts mean. Nagato, like his father, just wants what's best for everyone, hence his deep bond with the once sensitive Naruto. He sees Naruto inside Yahiko and despite how tough he is, wants to adopt the boy. Naruto, like his father, likes to see his family strive. He enjoys seeing everyone happy, but as you saw with this cliffhanger, Omo isn't really omo when the people he loves get hurt. And that's his greatest weakness.**

 **Small weaknesses we saw here was Rock Lee with his bad luck. He doesn't like to be called triple six (666, forgive me) because he feels like there's a negative connotation with his luck or lack thereof. Chouji is afraid of how people view him since he is a voluntary butcher of the cartel, meaning he wanted to chop bodies to help Naruto. Hence his surprise when Sasuke invites him to stay for dinner and takes to chopping bodies in his basement as an act against Saku's health and not an act against morality.**

 **PS. I made Yahiko younger in this fic because he and Nagato had such a deep friendship in the anime. It was originally going to be Konohamaru, but I felt like I was overdoing the kid in my stories.**

 **Well, that cliffhanger is something. And I bet there are so many questions to everything that went in this chapter: how did Karin come about if Madoka was gay? Was it a plan to become tougher and join the Yakuza because of what happened to Kaito? What will happen now that Genma's in the picture? Will Karin know who Madoka really was? How will Nagato form a bond with Yahiko after threatening to kill him? Is there more to him and Naruto's own deep bond? When it comes down to it, can Naruto keep his family and friends happy as Omo? Is Shikamaru okay?**

 **And then I'll say just wait and see loves. Until next time. :D**


	14. Flake

**Flake**

 **There were so many reviews, which I was so happy about. Thanks to all of you guys. It really means so much. You guys are the best and your observations about this story are crazy. I say crazy because they're so close to the story line.**

* * *

 _No one can persuade me_

 _To betray Naruto Namikaze_

 _I'm more loyal to him_

 _Then I am to God._

 _I'm siding with the devil I know._

 _-Shikamaru "Machiavelli" Nara_

* * *

 _Kabukichō, Tokyo, Japan_

 _1989_

A six-year-old Naruto Namikaze's pride is bigger than the house he grew up in. He doesn't like asking for things because he doesn't like bothering people. He doesn't tell anyone when something is wrong. And he's really quiet.

A six-year-old Shikamaru Nara's pride is small enough to be called laziness. He doesn't care to ask for things, but he doesn't bother anyone because it's troubling. He doesn't do anything for the possibility of things going wrong. And he hates talking because he knows his jaw will hurt eventually.

And they go hand in hand, the Nara, and the Namikaze. When they need something, they ask each other. When something is wrong, Naruto looks to Shikamaru, who's too lazy to go tell his father, Nagato, or the Namikaze triplets. And Naruto is quiet, which Shikamaru doesn't mind.

"Let's go find something else." Naruto murmured, parking his train skillfully and putting red lights around it. A mark to tell coming trains that he's stationary until the next route has been confirmed. Naruto takes that train seriously and he always has. "I'm bored."

Shikamaru's small body is rested on his back. His arms are behind his head and he looks like he's asleep. "I'm not. This is fun."

Naruto stood on his hind legs. He grabbed Shikamaru's hand. "Come on, you lazy bum."

"Watch your mouth," Karin muttered on the couch. "Or I'm gonna tell Uncle Minato and he's going to kick your ass."

Shikamaru didn't even have it in him to open his mouth in shock, but Naruto does. But it wasn't because Karin cursed. It was because the man standing by the door heard her curse. Misaji grabbed the nine-year-old girl from the couch and flicked her mouth three times. The girl started crying and kicking as Misaji drug her from the room, probably taking her to Madoka. "What'd I tell you about that mouth of yours?"

Naruto looked back at his friend after following them out the room. He knew what was going to happen because he too got his ass whooped before. But he snickered softly when he met Shikamaru's eyes. And Shikamaru couldn't help it. He laughed too.

Naruto was still holding his friend's hand so he pulled until Shikamaru, who put no effort into the whole ordeal, was standing all the way.

"Come on." Naruto started running, smiling sheepishly when Nagato told him to stop running. "It's so much cool stuff in the basement." He told the Nara.

And true to his word, there was. The six-year-old played down there for most of the day. They looked at old toy boxes. One for Nagato, one for Karin, which was filled with so much pink, they ignored it. There was one for Naruto, but they were all baby toys from when he was an infant. And then there was a box that used to have a name but was scratched out. Scratched out in permanent marker so well that Naruto couldn't read it.

"Maybe." Shikamaru murmured. "It's the name of a kid that used to live here before you moved in."

Naruto nodded. His mind giving only that result. "Yeah. I only see that it starts with K, but I can't read it. Let's just keep playing."

And they do. They play with all the toys down there and it's fun. And then they get toward the back of the basement, where all the old picture books are. Naruto thinks all the little babies in the album are very cute. The ones with red hair and the one with blond hair. He passes photos of a woman that looks so much like his daddy, he thinks it's him.

"This lady looks like my daddy."

Shikamaru is smart… "Maybe it's your grandma."

Naruto shakes his head and can't believe how silly his friend is. "No. Betsy Basan is my grandmother, silly."

"But she doesn't look like you."

"So?"

And Shikamaru is only six so he can't argue with that. "You're right."

They move on, the woman in the photo now forgotten. "Look!" Shikamaru screams when he goes past a photo of Madoka. "It's your uncle."

Naruto eyes the photo. It really is Madoka. He's younger in the photo and he looks tired. Naruto sees that his middle finger is to the camera. But the oddest thing about him is "yeah, but who's that kissing him?"

Shikamaru hums. "I didn't know he kissed boys." He agrees. "Who is that man?"

"What are you two doing?"

They both turn to see Madoka standing there, cigar in his mouth. Naruto smiles at his uncle. And pushes the photo up so he can see.

"Look uncle. You kissed this boy, didn't you?"

And Madoka's eyes widen as he rips the picture from Naruto's hand. "Where did you get this?"

Shikamaru points to the old box of photos in the corner. Madoka comes down fully. "You two go upstairs. I'll be up there in a moment. And Naruto?"

"Yes."

"Shikamaru?"

"Hm?"

"Don't tell anyone about this, okay?"

Naruto shrugs. He doesn't see the problem really. People are different. If everyone in the world liked girls like him, where would uniqueness come from? But he doesn't mind keeping a secret. He's too shy and Shikamaru's too lazy to talk.

"We promise."

* * *

 _Tokyo-Shinagawa Hospital_

 _Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan_

 _January 12, 2005_

Naruto Namikaze hasn't left the hospital in six days, not even when Sai told him that Shikamaru Nara would live. Instead, he keeps his face hidden away from everyone and everything by planting it into Shikamaru's leg. He's slept in that position for six days.

And really, it disturbs Sasuke Namikaze, his husband, and mother of his child. Naruto has nothing to worry about, especially if Sha Mohammed isn't worried anymore, but he is. He's so concerned that he doesn't look like Ōmo anymore.

 _I just want everyone to be happy, is all._

And it breaks Sasuke's heart. Naruto hates weakness, but all his words are forgotten when Shikamaru is seen laying in the hospital bed, asleep and hurt. Just like they were forgotten when Sasuke and Saku were hurt.

He was shot close to his heart, and the eternal bleeding kept him asleep for days. Bolade Mohammed was remorseful; he had told Naruto it was all over a stupid fight, and the fight was all over something stupid. He doesn't tell Naruto anything, however, and despite his best friend almost dying, Naruto can't find it in his heart to demand any information.

The blond blinked awake slowly in the hospital room, his head rotating on Shikamaru's leg to face away from the other man.

"I...can't feel my leg." The blond's head turned back quickly and he held it for the coming migraine of hunger and insomnia. Shikamaru was staring at him in pain. Shikamaru was awake.

"Shik. Are you alright? What's wrong?"

The Nara grunted in pain again. "I can't feel my leg."

Naruto blinked his tears away and stood. "I'll get Sai righ-"

Shikamaru cut his friend off by lifting both his legs in the hospital bed and wiggling them around in the air. He smirked at Naruto. "That's better. Your head, it's really heavy."

He must expect Naruto to laugh at little because he's still smiling that smile that isn't really a smile. It's a lazy smirk because Shikamaru doesn't have it in him, as he never had, to make all the muscles in his face move. He's lazy to the death...er...to the point of death.

But Naruto doesn't laugh, instead, he covers his face because the onslaught of tears are unimaginable and it's so stupid to cry. Shikamaru is fine. His brother is alright, but….

"Why are you crying, Pusshī?"

Naruto sneered softly. "Don't call me that. And don't you remember? Bolade shot you in the chest."

Shikamaru stared for a long time.

"He feels remorseful about it." Naruto murmured. "But he wouldn't tell me what the fight was about. He wanted to see you, but I don't know if I wanted to allow it."

"You should have let him."

Naruto turned abruptly, his blue eyes wide with doubt of Shikamaru being alright. "What? Shikamaru, he shot you."

Shikamaru's eyes closed. "It's a troublesome thing, but now that you and I are alone, I suppose I can tell you the story since you trust me more than anyone."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm saying…" he looked Naruto directly in the eyes. "B has a right to be remorseful. He isn't the one that shot me."

"What?"

"Sha was."

* * *

 _Mohammed Household_

 _Tokyo, Japan_

 _January 6, 2005_

" _I can't let you do that, Sha." Shikamaru hissed. The dark woman blinked at him as if she didn't understand his lack of agreement._

 _And maybe she wouldn't understand. Shikamaru can't even think about killing Bolade. He can't even utter death and B in a single sentence, let alone conversation._

 _It's not that Killer B can't die. He can. There are moments in any cartel when a man or woman realizes they aren't immortal. But for some reason, Bolade Mohammed cannot die._

 _Not this way. It's almost treacherous if it were anyone else. Sha has been verbally, physically, and sexually abused by her husband in the past years. Sha has every right to stage her husband's death._

 _ **Sha reveals that Shikamaru knows about what he's been doing.**_

 _ **Bolade Killer B, otherwise known as a less rational man. He won't stop to think about why Shikamaru has to know.**_

 _ **His question will be is Shikamaru Nara fucking my wife?**_

 _ **They fight.**_

 _ **Sha shoots Bolade and tells Naruto that she had no choice.**_

 _The plan has enough holes to sink the entire ship and Shikamaru doesn't like it. He loves Sha. He loves her so much that it hurts but...he cannot bring himself to kill B in this way._

 _Not only because he has a connection with the older man, but also because Naruto Namikaze doesn't like treachery. Naruto feels that treachery is the highest stage of weakness._

 _And Killer B's death plot is nothing short of that. Sha wants to set her husband up, but worse she wants to fool Naruto in the act._

 _She wants to fool Naruto because eliminating Bolade Mohammed can be done in just that way. Bolade Mohammed cannot die without Naruto seeing him for who he really was- a demon._

 _Naruto believes in B. B is Naruto's good friend. If friendship wasn't good enough, Ōmo owes B a large debt as well as his life._

 _They met under enemy circumstances, but B has been there to push a fourteen-year-old Naruto closer to his dream. Through every setback, B was there...just like Shikamaru. So there is no bad Bolade Mohammed can do in Naruto's eyes unless Sha and Shikamaru tell him or he sees it himself._

 _And then there's another factor that makes Shikamaru's head spin. Naruto loves Sha to the death. To the point where he'd put his life on the line for her._

 _But sometimes it's harder to live than to die. And Naruto would go through hell for Bolade- his mentor, his brother, his friend- and live. Naruto would do more for Bolade because he trusts him. Naruto has a relationship with Bolade that no one can see._

 _Just like Naruto has a relationship with Shikamaru that no one can see._

 _So if it ever got out that Sha was the one to kill Bolade, there would be no hesitation in Naruto's veins. He'd kill her instantaneously. That was Naruto Namikaze's system. And not even love would save her._

 _So ultimately, Shikamaru hates this plan. He doesn't want B to die. Or Sha. And he especially doesn't want Naruto to break down again. Naruto is his best friend. He can't handle that. So he defies her, his eyes milky as he thinks about all those years Naruto lost himself._

" _I can't let that happen, Sha. You can't hurt Naruto like that."_

 _The woman frowns softly, her gorgeous brown eyes wide now. "Bu-"_

" _No." He says more firmly now. "I can't let you do this. Not to this family. We can talk about this without hurting anyone. We can get Naruto to force a divorce, but I will not let you kill Bolade. If you hurt Naruto…."_

 _No one needs to hear or say the end of it._

 _And Sha doesn't say a thing. It hurts her. He can tell. To be pushed aside for Ōmo. Especially in the eyes of the man she loved. But it's almost scary that Shikamaru, a heterosexual male, loves Naruto more. More than her. More than anyone. It hurts her right to the core._

* * *

Already, Shikamaru can see Naruto's eyes turning. Sometimes, blue is a premonition of bad luck and it can be associated with death. Those are Naruto's eyes. And already, his friend can see the gears turning in his head, thinking of a way to retaliate as if he were targeted. So Shikamaru speaks up.

"I didn't know Sha would hit him. But when they started fighting, I couldn't let it go on. So we fought. And that was what Sha wanted. I knew in my mind since we had arrived to see B, that the risk of me leaving that place dead was high. I moved in front of the bullet and when Sha had realized what she did, she was still trying to make you see B as something horrible. So she told you he shot me."

Naruto stood with enough anger to knock the chair over. The man seethed as he walked around the room, pacing and clenching his fists. "I can't believe this shit!"

Shikamaru stared silently as he knew that eventually, the blond would calm down. "Can I get a cigarette?" He muttered.

Naruto gawked at him. "How can you be calm in a moment like this? Sha almost got you killed!"

A shrug. "But she didn't. I'm safe and I'm here."

Naruto held his head as more possibilities caked into mind. "What if the plan had gone through? What if she actually did kill B and I just stayed in a lie."

"I wouldn't have let it happen. You know that. The important thing is...I'm safe. And I think Bolade and Sha learned from that. There's no need to get angry."

"But it was treacherous. If something is going on between them, why doesn't she let me handle it? I don't like being fooled. I hate it."

This time, Shikamaru sighed. His body was still sore and he was certain the hospital staff wouldn't appreciate him moving. But if Naruto left that door, and he could do nothing, there was no telling what the blond would do. Kill Sha.

"Look.. You need to let this go. She's learned from it."

Naruto growled loudly. "First Bolade lies and says he's sorry for shooting you and now this. Why are you protecting her? I'm Ōmo! I run this cartel! I decide who lives or dies! Not Sha!"

"We aren't protecting her! We're protecting you!"

Shikamaru's body began to grow numb and the heart machine beside his bed began to grow louder by the second.

And just as he premeditated, Naruto was tripping over himself to get to his side. "Shikamaru." He whispered. He crouched and held his friend's hand. "Breath. Anata wa kokyū ga hitsuyōdesu."

The raven nodded and calmed down slightly. Inhaling for two seconds and exhaling for another two. "I'm alright now." He uttered.

Naruto frowned deeply. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I don't mean to upset you. I just…."

"Bolade and I remember the two years after Betsy's body was found, okay? We remember you killing people just to kill them. We remember the attempted suicide. And the hole that was too deep to climb out of. If one of us died...me, Sha, or B….B and I knew. I did it to protect you. And so did B."

"But you still almost died."

"But I stayed alive for you." Shikamaru smiled, leaning his head back and closing his eyes. "At least show some appreciation and do as I request… And stay here with me."

Naruto sighed, out of fight from those memories. "I don't know who to trust anymore."

Shikamaru punched his friend's arm. "Trust me, alright? Always trust me. We're brothers, okay? The king's advisor."

Naruto smiled. "And the king's friend. Of course. I don't think I can stop trusting you...or B. It's just Sha didn't care about fooling me. Should I still trust her?"

Without hesitation, Shikamaru shook his head. "Always, N. Always trust Sha. I think you, B, and she need to sit down and have a talk. And then you'll understand more."

"You're right." Naruto lifted himself from the seat, but Shikamaru latched onto him.

"Watashitoisshoni ite. Watashi wa taikutsudesu."

Naruto sat back down. "What do you want to talk about?"

"What's been happening since I was shot?"

Naruto smirked. "You won't believe what the family is going through. B and Sha have moved back in together, and now that I know the truth, I'm scared for him. Karin thinks uncle Madoka is hiding something from us and uncle Saji knows about it."

Shikamaru snorted. Since he was a child and he used to come and play with Naruto, Madoka would tell him the family name was cursed. Through everything they'd been through, Shikamaru always believed him. So no doubt, there was something someone was hiding in the family. He supposed they all hid things.

Naruto laughed too. "Nagato has been visiting Suginami a lot. Trying to learn about a kid he wants to adopt."

Now that in itself is a shocker. Nagato doesn't give a fuck about anyone if their name isn't Naruto. Shikamaru has known this since he was a child while Naruto has been an oblivious idiot. So he wonders why and really how? "Sore wa odorokubeki kotodesu."

I know. "He says the kid is six and he reminds Nagato of me when I was younger." Shikamaru gets it now, the reason he would adopt this kid. "That's scary."

And Shikamaru doesn't deny that claim. The only thing more frightening than Ōmo is Ōmo in 1994.

Naruto smiles all of a sudden. "Saku is now three weeks old, Shik. He's getting stronger by the day. His head is still wobbly and needs to be supported, but he can lift it for a few seconds and turn it from side to side. He also likes looking now. Sai said his vision is increasing, which is why he likes looking at our faces. We make faces too and he copies, but he doesn't like sticking his tongue out goofily. Last time, he bit his tongue and cried for hours, the punk."

Naruto laughed softly. "He still sleeps a lot. About 18 hours each day and in spans of three to four hours. It's hilarious."

Shikamaru laughed softly. He'd have to go see his nephew and toughen him up a little. "And what about Sasuke? How's Sasuke been?"

Naruto smirked. "Sasuke, bless his badass soul because he's been running the cartel successfully for six days. Almost as good as me." Shikamaru raised a brow, astounded. "Don't ask me. I don't know how he's that perfect either."

* * *

 _Namikaze Household_

 _Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan_

 _January 12, 2005_

Sure nodded at the tall dark man at the seat. "Now that you've filled it with lukewarm water, check the temperature by dipping your elbow into the water. It should be warm but not too hot."

Bolade did just that; in exasperation, yes, but with carefulness. "Why do I have to do this again?"

Securing the baby close to him, Sasuke reached out and hit the man upside his head in a scolding manner. He ignored Bolade's " _hey!"_ And continued. "Just in case you and Sha have a baby one day, you'll know what to do."

"I've had younger siblings. I know what to do. And I don't think I want to have kids."

"Set everything you'll need within arm's reach- soap, washcloth, towel, diaper, change of clothes- before you start so that you can keep one hand on the baby at all times. When you're done bathing him, hurry and wrap him up in the towel so he doesn't lose too much body heat. Dry him thoroughly before you diaper and dress him. And why not have a child? They're so cute."

And Bolade can't deny that. It's just… "I don't think parenting is for me. I don't think I'd be a good father. Maybe because I'd hurt my kids."

And Sasuke is good at reading people. He can't deny that he sees a pain inside Killer B. Sitting deeper than Sha's and Naruto's. It makes him wonder. _Who hurt you and made you like this?_ But he doesn't want to pry. "Naruto thought that too." He gently placed Saku in the sink and handed the soft sponge to his friend. "But he's a wonderful father."

Bolade became lost as he began to gently rub and lather Saku's pudgy body. "I'm different than Naruto. We're all different."

"I see that." He watches Bolade tense. "Remember to support his head."

The black man nods an apology before lifting Saku's head from the towel resting behind him. "I didn't come here to talk about my past."

"I never brought it up." Sasuke counters, just as soft. "But maybe it's your past that makes you hurt people."

"I don't like talking about my mother. Or the things she did to us."

"No one does. But you can tell me anything."

And Bolade, who takes credit for nicknaming Sasuke Psycho as well as Felony, can't help but notice that behind him if the evident backbone of this family. The peacemaker. The mediator. Sasuke can be called what he truly is. He laughs. "Mama Sasuke."

Sasuke hit him again. "Don't call me that, B. I'm a man." He looks to Saku who is laughing softly. "Maybe it's kind of cute."

And B just laughs too.

"B."

"Yeah, Sasuke?"

"Talk to, Sha, okay? About your past and apologize. Don't hurt her again. The things that happened, they'll never be forgotten, but people forgive you know? They do."

B thinks about it before he nods. It's a scary thing really. But if Sasuke wants, he probably should. So he whispers okay. And Sasuke looks satisfied.

It scares him. The way that no one can put an ounce of change in him. Not even since Naruto was young. But then comes Sasuke, who feels the pain in his past and knows Bolade is the way he is because of it.

So again, he whispers okay to the man. To fulfill a promise to himself too.

When Saku is clean, he looks like he has just been born. Wrinkled and whiney. And Sasuke notices this. So he makes Killer B take the boy put and clean him so that maybe Killer B is reborn too. Bolade notices this.

Before he could ask Sasuke to stop trying to help, the doorbell rang.

Sasuke grunted and layed some towels down. "It must be Chouji. Lay Saku there and dress him. I'll be in the living room."

And then Bolade is isolated and not even Naruto's smiling son can make him feel surrounded. He bets Saku is the happiest child in the world. With a father that is strong, intelligent, and runs the entirety of Japan. And a mother that is wise, fascinating, and independent. Now that's a life started well.

Bolade doesn't want to wonder about his childhood. But it has a way of showing up when he doesn't want it to.

 _He watched her sit on the couch, the extension cord from his room in her hands._

 _You ain't never gonna be more than what you are. Looking just like your sorry ass daddy. Don't cry, bitch. Act like a man._

Bolade blinks rapidly. God, she was horrible. She made him horrible. B didn't deserve Sha. After all he'd done.

Saku grabbed for him, his one-month-old body clinging for warmth. The man sighed, noticing that the baby was dressed. So he scooped him up and held him close.

He wants to apologize profusely because his heart isn't as warm as his parents' probably are, but Saku snuggles close immediately. It scares Bolade because his initial thought is to teach the boy not to be so trusting when he's older, but should Bolade even stay around for they long?

Those thoughts are nothing but a cage, trying to reel him close so that he can remain trapped. But Bolade is stronger than that. He fights it and walks gently into the living room where Sasuke is carefully checking the couches.

Chouji is standing behind him, looking nervous and exposed now that Bolade and Saku see him. Bolade doesn't know much about Chouji, except that the heavyset man takes a liking to cutting meat. He doesn't talk much and the only time Bolade has ever met Chouji is at the restaurant Naruto told the Akimichi to manage and money launder.

Bolade gives a tight smile before offering his hand.

 _One second._

 _Two._

 _Three seconds_.

That's when B realizes Chouji won't shake his hand any time soon. So he draws it back awkwardly.

Sasuke laughs. "Don't take offense to it. He doesn't touch people. Learned that about a week ago." The raven laughs softly. "Because he chops people up that he's so scared."

Chouji crosses his arms over his chest. He's ready to argue. That much is evident. But Sasuke is quicker and cunning.

"You feel bad about what you do. I know. When will my ability to read people get through your head?" There's a small sofa to the left of the big room that he goes to last. The cushion is nice and white. Sasuke lifts it gently, revealing stashes of money that are wrapped delicately between thick rubber bands. "No use in arguing with me."

Bolade watches Sasuke pull out twenty stacks and place them in the bag. When he realizes there's more room in the duffel bag, another twenty are pushed in. Bolade counts them all.

Sasuke stands and hands Chouji the bag. "¥20,000 as promised. Good work."

Chouji smiles graciously, hugs Sasuke, waves to Bolade, and leaves.

Bolade's first thought is "you gave him more than he was supposed to have. Why?"

Bolade knows. As third in command, he knows about everyone's pay.

"Everyone gets more than their supposed to have," Sasuke smirks. And the news is new to B. He blinks until Sasuke continues. "If you're set to get ¥1 million, you get two. If it's ¥10,000, you get ¥20,000. That's how it works in Naruto's business."

"But doesn't that lazy people out? Won't they just take the money and leave if they think they have enough? What if you guys lose all your money?"

"No, B. The system's worked this long. It won't fail. And why does it matter to me if someone tries to get out? There's not a living soul on this Earth that Naruto failed to kill. And what's the use for money if you don't have people to share it with? Naruto doesn't operate like that. No one in the Namikaze family does. All of them, Karin, Nagato, Naruto, they all measure success in one way; by the people successful next to them."

Bolade blinks surprised and Sasuke smirks with his eyes closed. " _Here, we say you're broke if everybody is broke except for you_. Giving money is nothing to a boss like Naruto." And Bolade just smiles in amusement when Sasuke repairs the small seat and pretends to lift a non-existent collar. "My great-great-grandchildren are already rich. And that's a lot of 'yellow' children on that Forbes list."

Bolade laughs than as Sasuke giggles. He's very amused by this man and how he lives life. Bolade wants to study this. He wants to know so that he can prepare himself. All he really wants to know is how other people are making it through life—where do they put their body, hour by hour, and how do they cope inside of it?

And then he remembers something that is just as important. "I thought you said Chouji doesn't touch people. He hugged you. Why?"

Sasuke smiles, coming over to grab Saku, who was reaching anyway. "I like to believe that it's because I'm such a darling and so cute. But I know that it's because I'm just an accepting person."

Saku puts his face in the man's chest, signaling that he was hungry. Sasuke sighs. "I'm tired just from walking my own house." He rubs his son's chin. "Ooh. Mama's getting fat."

* * *

 _Local Orphanage_

 _Suginami, Tokyo, Japan_

 _January 12, 2005_

"Burgers are rare over here." Nagato murmurs staring at the rarity from that rare McDonalds down the street. It's almost disgusting how good it looks." But then the man smiles softly. "Betsy basan would probably kill me for eating this."

Yahiko turns to look at him, not minding the burger as he stuffs it in his mouth. Now Nagato regrets coming here. He can leave because its gross or…

Yahiko flew back a little as Nagato's fist connected with his head. He rubbed his head. "Why'd you hit me?!"

Nagato sneered. "Orphanage or not, eat like you have some manners."

The boy looked away. "Fine." He muttered, taking a small bite this time. But then all was forgiven as his mood instantly lightened and he smiled at the older man.

"Did you know that on this day 1315 years ago, emperor Jitō died?"

"Really?"

"Yeah." Yahiko smiled. "January 13th."

Nagato laughed, not missing the way Yahiko's honey eyes lit up at the sight. "It's January 12th."

"No, I'm pretty sure he died on the 13th. I'm the best in history."

Nagato leaned over and poked the boy's forehead as a way to prove him wrong. "But very bad with current dates, I see. Today is January 12th. Jitō died on January 13th."

Yahiko took some time to think about it before he smiled sheepishly. "Eh. I guess I thought it was the 13th. But I do know the history of Japan."

Nagato smiled softly. "You know, in 1918, the Minnie Pit Disaster coal mining accident occurred in Halmer End, Staffordshire. 155 men and boys died."

"I didn't know that." The boy smiles. "You learn something new every day."

"Your history shouldn't only be studied. If you want to understand people around the world, it's good to read their history too."

Yahiko nods and then they're quiet while they eat. "Can I go back to the hitmen school?"

"No. Not ever."

"Well, some other kids are saying you're going to adopt me. Is that true?"

Nagato eyes the boy. "Why would I adopt some coward like you?" And he doesn't miss the way his eyes dim a little. "Besides, when I do adopt you, don't go around being gullible and listening to what other people say."

Yahiko eyes him. "So you're keeping me? Like a dog?"

Nagato knows the boy is serious now, but he can't help himself. "You do look like a puppy." He says as a matter of fact.

"What if I'm rabid or something?"

"I'll get you cured," Nagato promises, messing up the boy's hair and shutting him up in the process.

* * *

 _Madoka Namikaze's Home_

 _Tokyo, Japan_

 _January 13, 2005_

Karin growls as she goes to the door. She hates house-sitting for her father because so many people come to his home. But while Madoka is visiting Misaji, Karin has once more volunteered to help her father out with something.

The woman is tired and annoyed and she can't get through any show on television without someone coming to drop off for her father.

Hiding the pistol behind her back, The redhead opened the door cautiously. That man was there, the one from the supermarket. The denounced family friend.

 _How did he know where Madoka lived?_

Karin lifted her pistol slowly. "You have thirty seconds to persuade me not to blow your motherfucking blood over my father's porch."

The man stepped back slightly, surprise evident in his face. "Karin, all I want to do is talk." _There he goes again. Saying her name like he knows her._

"My father isn't here."

The man looks saddened all of a sudden as if he had one chance, but it failed horribly. But then he looks at Karin. "I didn't come all the way here for nothing. I want to apologize and explain myself. I know I came off as crazy, but...please."

Karin takes some time to think before she lowers the gun in her hand, moving to the side to let him in. "Try anything funny, and I won't hesitate to dirty this house."

Karin Namikaze was never a stable child. She's irrational and brash and she doesn't like talking. She likes shooting first. Genma Shiranui, this man's name, is the only exception.

He's come to Karin wearing his heart and a bag over his shoulder. And he changes her life. He tells her the truth and that her whole life has been a lie.

Her father was gay. _Was? Is?_ What can she trust?

"My father isn't gay. And I'm evident proof of that."

But then he's pulling out black and white photos of he and Madoka when they were young and looked so sweet with one another. Karin wants to why he's the enemy.

And then Misaji is a liar too. Misaji had a kid before. By the name of Kaito and the kid was with Madoka when he was killed.

 _It was a hate crime. They attacked Madoka because he was gay and they killed Kaito._

Karin still doesn't understand why that would make him be cut off. She doesn't understand why Kaito was a secret. She doesn't understand anything about her family anymore.

Genma sighs. "The boy who killed your cousin Kaito...he was my brother."

And then Karin's gun is on him again. And Genma is explaining that he isn't like his brother. He isn't like him at all. His brother has life in prison without bail. Genma regrets the things his brother did to that child. But he's not here for that. He's here to apologize.

Madoka kept him in secret. Madoka was somehow still gay and still fucking Genma even after his nephew was killed. And then something bad happened. And everything changed.

Genma says he wouldn't have come back if he didn't see Misaji and Nagato months before. Because there's a secret in the family that Nagato, Misaji, and Madoka know. There's a secret that they would have taken to their final breaths if Genma didn't come back.

"I came to apologize to you for not being in your life."

"Why would I need you in my life. You were nothing but a fling to him." She hisses.

"Karin…" he murmurs, pulling out a photo of a man he says is his brother. A red-haired man that looks like he has it in him to kill. "I'm closer to you than you think."

"How?" She growled.

He blinked. "Karin, why do you think I'm being kept from you? Why do you think Madoka would still see me after my brother killed Kaito, but then cut me off? Why do you not know the name of your mother, but Nagato and Naruto do? Kushina left, Fusō left, but who's your mother, Karin? Why does she not have a name? Why don't you deserve one?"

"You know too much about my father."

"Because I am your father, Karin!"

She flinches back. There are too many people in this family that she has to protect.

"And I'm sorry. I'm sorry for not being there, but I was pushed away. Because Madoka would have been disowned if anyone else knew that the man who got Madoka pregnant was the brother of the same man that killed a Namikaze."

She stands abruptly. "You're lying. My father can't get pregnant. My father's not like Sasuke."

"Why do you think your cousin in law's pregnancy was taken so lightly? Surely a family of ruthless men would have some discomfort with a pregnant man. No. Because it happened before. It's not uncommon."

"I don't care!" She screamed. So what if this guy was her father. So what if they hid this from her. Karin had secrets too. Some even more brutal than theirs. "I don't care what you say!"

All sound in her mind went away as Karin lifted the gun, watching him fall to the floor. But she never pulled the trigger.

"I don't care what he said." That voice belonged to one man. Karin stared at her father, watching in horror as he lowered the gun and collapsed the floor. "Your mother's name is Honoka Uzumaki. She was born here in 1953 and she began prostituting in 1972. I never planned to tell you because you get too attached, Karin. You'd try to find her and talk to her. You're not like Nagato and Naruto. And that's the scariest thing about you. You're gullible and you would have believed him, Karin."

The girl was crying now. Why did she have to be different? Why couldn't she be distrusting? Why wasn't she ever good enough in her father's eyes?

"And you almost believed him. I may have been gay, but I _am not_ a goddamn intersex. You almost believed him and what would you have done, Karin? Turned on the family and gave him money so that he could bail his brother out? Betrayed us because of false secrets?"

"Then what about Kaito, huh? Don't tell me that's a lie." She snarled, her hand raising with the pistol. She didn't know if she would ever trust her father again. What if Genma was telling the truth? What if he would have said more, but Madoka killed him before he could continue? What if Madoka wasn't even her father?

 _Your gullibility is showing._

"Kaito is real, but he's not my secret. I don't know why your uncle kept him a secret. Maybe because he's mourning, but you _ask_ him, Karin. You can't be brash."

"You killed her didn't you?"

Madoka freezes as he stares his daughter down.

Karin smirks crazily, her eyes bigger than her brain. "That's why I couldn't know about her, huh? See, Kushina and Fusō walked away. But I never got told about her because you killed her."

"It was an accide-"

"Bullshit!" She screamed. "Namikaze's don't _do_ accidents."

"Put the gun down."

He walked closer and the woman made a step back. "Don't you come any closer." She hissed. Snot was running down her nose, but the woman couldn't care less. "I swear don't you come any closer. Watashi wa anata ga tatsu tokoro de anata o uchimasu."

Madoka sighed. "And this is what I feared. You know…" He muttered. "Nagato may be uncaring and Naruto may be bloodthirsty, and sometimes they act like fools. But they would _never_ threaten to kill their family."

Karin let go of the gun to wipe her face. "Fuck Naruto. And fuck Nagato. This entire family is going to hell or you're going to rot."

"Leave my house, Karin."

The woman stared him down before rushing to the door. _Fuck_ _this family. All they ever did was make a fool of you. Nagato favored Naruto. Naruto was the star child. Misaji never spoke. And Madoka...Madoka never even gave you the chance. They can rot_.

Madoka stands in the living room before looking to Genma's body. He growled and kicked it. "You motherfucker! You motherfucker! You motherfucker!" And he kicked until it wore him out. "Why did you have to show up again?! And turn my baby against me!"

Madoka fell to the floor, tears in his eyes. He clasped his older hands together and tried praying, but after years of absence, praying doesn't feel right anymore. So he cried and asked. "I haven't spoken to you in years, but...please... _please please, please._ She's all I have. There's no one else."

* * *

 _Misaji Namikaze's Home_

 _Tokyo, Japan_

 _January 12, 2005_

Misaji yawns as he scrambles upstairs. It's almost midnight and the man has been out all day. He knows once he hits the bed, that's it. He'll be out until morrow. The man's phone rings and he grumbles, picking it out of his pocket.

It's his son. Misaji sighs, knowing that anything Nagato has to say is important and it will most likely keep him up tonight, whether he leaves the house or not.

"Moshi?" He asks.

" _Dad, you need to come to the hospital in Shinagawa. Karin and I are on our way together, Naruto just got out of bed too."_

"What happened?"

" _Uncle Madoka had a mental breakdown."_

Misaji doesn't take a moment to turn around and leave his home, sleep, and slumber long forgotten. He's ready to see what's wrong. "What happened?" He asks again.

" _I don't know. But Karin is crying saying it's her fault. She came to me about an hour ago and...dad...I don't know...I just.."_

"I'm on my way," Misaji mutters.

" _Dad, wait?"_

"What, Nagato?" Misaji is almost annoyed. He must always be the peacemaker when the family goes to pieces.

" _What's this about some kid named Kaito? Did you know him when you were younger?"_

Misaji Namikaze is a slow man. He doesn't walk around much, but when he does, it's slow. Because Misaji doesn't move for anyone.

And Misaji Namikaze is a wise man. He's been on a streak for the 26 years Nagato has known him. He knows that saying about how people hear wise men say nothing at all.

But now that silence is being broken. Misaji Namikaze is speaking for the first time in a long time and a lot of things are shifting in the Namikaze clan.

 _Watashitachi no tame ni inotte kudasai tsumibitos. Ima, Soshite Jikan Watashitachi no shi no._

* * *

 **Japanese Words Used Here:**

Anata wa kokyū ga hitsuyōdesu means "you have to breathe."

Watashitoisshoni ite. Watashi wa taikutsudesu translates to "stay with me. I'm bored."

Sore wa odorokubeki kotodesu means "that is surprising."

Watashi wa anata ga tatsu tokoro de anata o uchimasu means "I will shoot you where you stand."

Watashitachi no tame ni inotte kudasai tsumibitos. Ima, Soshite Jikan Watashitachi no shi no is a rough translation of the prayer "pray for us sinners. Now and at the hour of our death."

 **The title of this chapter is to represent the Namikaze family in two ways: lies and it's decaying stage as nothing but dust, flakes. The secrets come out in the next chapter and the more important things are how Nagato, Karin, and Naruto take them. It's a scary thought, but there are so many things in this family, you guys wouldn't believe and I have them all on paper.**

 **Don't you just love how lovely Sasuke is to everyone no matter who they are? He's so accepting and it's true what he said. "Here we say you're broke if everybody is broke except for you." When he said yellow, he was talking about Japanese kids being on the Forbes list of richest people. And he knows that Naruto is boss enough to keep their family rich.**

 **And it seems that Shikamaru actually does care for Naruto more than anyone. It hurts Sha right to the core. If Sha ever needed to choose between Shikamaru and Naruto, she would have a hard time. Shikamaru would never hesitate to choose Naruto and that hurts her. When Shikamaru took that bullet and lied, it was all for Naruto. No one else.**

 **Bolade has a past too And let me tell you, it's brutal. More brutal than anyone's in this story.**

 **Nagato is spending days with Yahiko, but will it be held back once he learns all the secrets?**


	15. Glitter

**Glitter**

 **It's going to be a bumpy ride as we move closer into the story. Be sure to pay close attention to these dates as they will be switching tense: past, present, future. The ending tense/date is where the story will go off from for next chapter since it will be the present. Hope that makes sense.**

 **I want to thank all chapter 13 and 14 reviewers as I didn't get the chance last chapter: Yaoifangirl102, Hotpotata180, Bumbardy, AkatsukiAkane, Yamiheart, facepalm, the Unapologetic, and guests wow and J me. You guys are so awesome and your reviews mean everything. There are going to be a few surprises here, so pay close attention. :D**

* * *

 _Nothing can come from nothing, so_

 _Naruto Namikaze wouldn't be Ōmo_

 _If it weren't for_

 _Minato "Hachiman" Namikaze_

 _The God Of War_

 _-Madoka "Smoke" Namikaze_

* * *

 _Camp_ _Zama, US Military Base_

 _Kanagawa prefecture, Japan_

 _September 1956_

 _1900 Hours_

Linda Patterson disappeared. Her voice, her laughter, the warmth of her breath. Her flesh. And eventually her bones. All living memory of her ceased. And yet Maso tried remembering her when he looked at his sons. Her tone, her humor, her acceptance. Everything was remembered when he saw those three. So he consumed Linda's soul inside him. He ate the memory of her.

And loneliness.

He ate that, too.

And people get used to loneliness. Maso tried with his heart, with everything to fit in with the other American marines. Being the only Japanese man on that camp, it was hard for him for him to be them. Impregnating a white American woman, it was harder for him to stand beside them. He was misunderstood. And the worst kind of loneliness in the world was the isolation that came from being misunderstood. It made people lose their grasp on reality. On comfort.

After the bombing, Maso could withstand a week without water, two without food, years of homelessness, but not loneliness. It was the worst of all sufferings; the worst of all tortures.

"Maso?" The sound of the A rolling off her southern tongue told Maso that the woman standing outside his tent was Betsy. He looked up from his book as his loneliness was masked. As all loneliness is masked- and how dangerous a mask is really. How people become what they pretend to be. Maso pretended to be a body with curved lips. And he became that. An empty shell with a fake smile.

She stood by the tent with a soft smile and Maso watched the sun soak her skin like water on a cool day. "Dinna's ready. The boys wanna have it wit cha."

Years ago, Maso had come to realize - first with indifference, then with bitterness, and finally with astonishment - that women came into the world differently. Not as just housewives, but as workers; not as child bearers, but as leaders too. Women were just as, if not more, important than men. But the world did everything to knock that away.

Betsy was Maso Namikaze's stone; she held him up with all her might and kept him steady when he fell. So while Linda Patterson was being forgotten because she had run away, Betsy was there to help Maso through his loneliness. To no man did Betsy Johnson mean so much as to Maso. When Maso buried his face and tears deep into her bosom for fear of being laughed at, Betsy was his only friend. His best friend. His superhero. Enough for him to stifle his cries into at night.

Even when Betsy had problems of her own, even when the soldier named Joey had died, Betsy still supported him through everything. Betsy held him up even when she was afraid of falling down. She was Godly. She was his. And Maso believed they were lost. It was almost pityingly funny. The things men went through.

She had noticed the soft quirk of his lips and moved in closer, letting the light die with his thoughts. "Now what can be so funny bout what Ah just said. Ya boys want to eat with you and the lea-"

Maso smiled big then, which said enough to shut the woman up. She stared at the smile that was new to her, not missing the way, his eye closed. "I was thinking about something is all. No need to worry."

Betsy crossed her arms, but she was smiling now too. The smile was faint and embarrassed, to shy to reveal itself yet. "Oh." She whispered. Her brown eyes traveled to the book that was on his lap before she bit his lip. "What's that about?"

Maso stared at the book for a moment before reopening it. "It's called the Tale of Genji. It's a classic of my country's literature."

He pat the seat beside him and she didn't hesitate to sit and comfort herself. Her eyes, however, never blinked. Never rested. They remained staring at the book and the kanji on the pages. And then they narrowed in confusion.

Maso enjoyed watching her. Betsy wasn't the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen, even if she was easy on the eyes. But she had the most beautiful heart. No good friends or bad friends. Only she he wanted, _needed_ with him. She who built her home inside his heart.

"Ah can see that. But what's all this mean? What's the book about?"

Years ago, Maso Namikaze had come to realize - first with astonishment, then with fear, and finally acceptance - that it was okay to fall in love again. After he had been loved then lost and then lonely, it was okay to fall in love with the woman who saved him.

He leaned toward the oblivious woman before he steadily remarked "love."

Her eyes opened more. "Love?"

"Yeah."

"Ah didn't know you was into that sorta thing, Maso."

"I am."

It was only then she had realized how close they became. Betsy doing what she always did thought nothing of it and stood. "Well, come own then. We leave Minato alone long enough, he'll eat the camp."

And Maso nodded at his friend, standing because he believed her and standing because he didn't know what came over him. Yes, there was some attraction to Betsy through her personality and looks, but Maso had never acted upon his impulses, no matter how urging they seemed.

"You're right." He watched Betsy dust off her clothing before she moved toward the front of the tent. "Betsy." His voice wavered slightly as his brain tried attaching his next words together. He was afraid as any man would be afraid when their happiness was on the line. But he knew that letting Betsy leave this tent now would mean nothing at all for them.

In these years, they had come so far; working together to make Minato's, Misaji's, and Madoka's lives better. And Maso had realized that sometimes people fall in love with the ones they aren't meant to be with. And sometimes, the person one truly loved took awhile to come into your life. He loved Linda and never would the memory of her whisk away with history. But he was in love with Betsy. He loved her because he loved her. There was never a reason needed to be loved.

The woman turned back to him, her eyes concerned. She heard the fear in his voice and she wondered as her mind strayed away what happened. Maso wasn't the most liked man around the camp so there must have been something. And Betsy, who always lifted her friend was ready before he started, her arms opening to offer an embrace.

"Let the kids eat. We can have breakfast with them."

Her arms went down. "Why? Is there something wrong?"

Maso lifted his left foot and put it forward. He began walking toward Betsy as the woman openly stared with confusion. "No. I just want to get to know you."

And Betsy's laugh, how sweet and loose was, came the same way a tide came - rushing and full, ready to bask on the surface. He smiled softly at her, amused by her bemusement. "Silly, Ah know you and you know everything there is to know bout me."

"Not just that…" He trailed. Maso was only a foot away from her, but when he lifted his foot to take another step, Betsy finally saw the look in his eyes. The look she had been avoiding for years. She was Linda's friend. And even if Linda had claimed to fall out of love with Maso Namikaze, Betsy could never think about hurting her in this way. Betsy wasn't a fool. She read people well. So Maso coming toward her with that lovely look in his eye, she knew the confession coming. "I want to rediscover all of you. I can't stray away from what my heart and mind want. Not for this long."

He had her cornered now, with just enough space of giving Betsy the option to kick his ass or leave the tent. She did neither. Didn't even move. Only whispered quietly into the noon "Maso."

Maso leaned closer, but he didn't kiss her. It would be too sudden. And the last time he jumped into something so suddenly, he became a single father and almost lost himself in the loneliness. Not this time. Not with Betsy. Betsy was his best friend and she was special. So he closed his eye and crashed his forehead into hers gently. "I love you." He whispered.

So that was their love affair. Wordless, blinkered, a nighttime thing, a dream thing. Whatever it was, it was best revealed slowly, in a flattering light. Which meant not much light at all. When he climbed on top of Betsy, she woke up. And she moved to accommodate Maso, spreading her legs or throwing an arm around his back. Her eyelids fluttered. A responsiveness entered her body, a flex of abdomen in rhythm with his, her head thrown back to offer up her throat. Maso had waited for more. He wanted Betsy to acknowledge what they were doing, but he was scared, too.

But soon, Betsy was grinding her damp bottom against his chest, belly, and mouth and strands of her dark curly hair came slipping down between their lips as they kissed. Then she mounted him and rocked back and forth until things got all twisted and hot inside and both their hearts burst.

They fell back exhausted, resting until they were ready for more, their lovemaking going around and around in Maso's head, like the melody of a song of love.

* * *

 _Tokyo-Shinagawa Hospital_

 _Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan_

 _January 12, 2005_

 _11:40 PM_

Naruto always thought Betsy and Maso were just best friends. He had it in his heart that friendship could save anyone's life. But they had been lovers and apparently, the Namikaze triplets had known their entire lives.

Ōmo looked around, watching his cousins take in the information. Karin was staring at the ground, her eyebrows pushed deep and her red eyes boring holes into the tile hospital floor. She looked as if she were still trying to believe; still trying to imagine Betsy and Maso being lovers although she had never seen them do what lovers usually did.

Nagato, on the other hand, sat with his eyes widening and dimming every interval. He looked as if he were conjuring memories into his head and realizing things he should have a long time ago; like how the two were so close; how Betsy was always around; how much it hurt her when Maso finally died. Small things like that.

Misaji, the all-knowing, had told them the first secret and stood by the wall as he watched the faces of the younger ones. He knew all along, judging by his indifferent stare. Madoka was silent as he laid in the hospital bed, his eyes staying on the patterns of his gown and not reaching anyone else's.

Naruto spoke up because no one else was going to say a thing. He felt bitter about it no doubt. Because it was something he should have seen coming, but also because their love shouldn't have been secret. They - Nagato, Karin, and he - would have fully accepted them.

The blond snorted with indignation. "So much for preaching to the choir about how much he _loved_ Linda. When were you going to ever tell us that, huh? Or were you planning on taking it to your grave just like grandpa did."

"Stop that." It was Misaji who scolded his nephew. "There was never a reason to explain what they had because you would have realized it eventually. Betsy never needed to explain herself and neither did Dad. She was the only thing he had left; after the bombing, after Linda, after everything. So it was no doubt that he would have fallen in love with her. Sooner or later, it was inevitable."

Naruto crossed his arms and sat down on the floor. He leaned against the wall across Madoka's bed with a huff. "I just don't understand why it was a secret for this long. Love isn't a crime. So why a secret at all?"

His eyes were closed, but there was a snicker across the room. Opening his blue eyes, he watched Karin cover her giggles. "If you're so hung up about it, why don't you ask grandpa yourself?"

Nagato sighed at her immaturity and at Naruto's low growl.

"Sore wa omoshirokunai."

Karin shrugged, a smug grin on her face. "I wasn't joking."

Naruto rolled his eyes. If Maso was dead, it was an evident joke. How could he ask the man? Karin's stupidity could not be conquered. So Naruto settled again. "Dumbass." He muttered.

"Fuck you." She laughed obnoxiously.

Nagato rubbed his chin, his head spinning. And he knew as the night went on, things would only get worse.

* * *

 _Namikaze Household_

 _Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan_

 _January 12, 2005_

 _11:59 PM_

The night Naruto leaves to go to the hospital is a rainy night. It's dark and scary, but Sasuke tells Saku that it washes the world. The man could have been sleeping now, but Saku is afraid of the rain no matter how much his mother comforts him.

Sasuke is scared too. He hopes Madoka will be okay and he wonders why the man had a mental breakdown. Naruto told him that the family had secrets and Misaji needed them in that hospital room tonight.

And so Sasuke is afraid as he tries rocking his son to sleep. Afraid for Naruto because whatever secrets the family has, he prays Naruto is strong enough to handle them. Saku whimpers and grabs hold of his shirt, struggling to hold on even though Sasuke has him well in his grip. The man wondered what was going through the baby's head. Sniffing and wiping his wet face, Sasuke tried smiling. "It's okay, Saku. You're father is the strongest man in the world."

 _Mommy is scared too. Probably of the loud noise outside. Mommy was crying, and the rain made it seem as if the whole world was crying._

Sasuke's eyes lit up as a thought gushed into his brain. "I know what will help you. Koshaku! Joō!"

The man listened to the patter of feet coming up the steps and watched the Dobermanns run into the room. They stood like noble horses as they waited for Sasuke's next words or commands.

The man smiled at the fiercely obedient dogs and rubbed their heads softly. "Go fetch my raincoat, will you? We're going outside."

Koshaku licked his palm and ran out of the room, his journey down the hall starting immediately. Joō stood still as she waited on a new order. Sasuke only laughed. "You can help me get Saku ready."

It took about ten minutes for them to get ready. Saku's tiny raincoat was a baby blue color and it matched his rain boots well. Sasuke nearly squealed goofily because he couldn't help himself. He lifted his son and held him high in the air, not missing the way the baby squealed with excitement. "You are the cutest baby in the world."

Hugging his son close, the man guided himself and the dogs downstairs and opened their door. Saku squeezed his shoulders when the wind barged on, sitting on the couches rudely. Sasuke pat the boy's back. "It's alright. Look, baby."

He positioned Saku on their porch so that Saku could see the harmless rain and the clouded sky. The baby stared at the hidden light that was the moon, his fears diminishing.

"See," Sasuke whispered, kissing the boy's forehead. "The sky is always beautiful. Even when it's dark or rainy or cloudy, it's still beautiful to look at. It'll be there no matter what...and I know that it'll always be beautiful."

* * *

 _Maso Namikaze's Home_

 _Kabukichō, Tokyo, Japan_

 _1968_

 _I'm going through changes._

The big mistake that Misaji went through when he was fourteen was believing he liked women. He didn't. He was just really horny. And as he went through puberty starting with half of thirteen years old, he began to stay out more like Minato did. Minato was in gangs. Misaji looked at women. Any free chance, the new teen got, he looked at women. He masturbated to the pictures of naked women and liked watching the women at the brothel. And then when he was inching toward fourteen years old, Misaji Namikaze was offered the real thing. A chance to have sex with a real woman, big breasts and all. And as a growing boy, he took it. Fusō was eighteen years old when he met her; she had caught him spying into the brothel and had offered him sex. She didn't care about money because she was an experimenter. She liked trying new things and being promiscuous wasn't shameful to her. And so they had sex. It was the best night of Misaji's life and it was the worst night of Misaji's life. He'd go on to remember it because it was too painful to be forgotten.

Not with a son and not with the changes his body was going through. The fourteen-year-old leaned closer to the mirror staring at his eyes. Betsy said his eyes were beautiful. They weren't Ocean blue like Minato's; they weren't chocolate brown like Madoka's; Misaji's eyes were space black. Black was a rogue color and it wasn't a color most people enjoyed. It was sin; it was death; and it was mysterious.

 _Betsy hugged him close and he buried his face in her stomach. "Beauty eyes Saji. The most beautiful things in all the universe are the most mysterious."_

Misaji had never been a vain person; he didn't look at himself just to admire. Minato may have enjoyed checking himself out, but Misaji was different. The boy leaned closer, confusion evident in his reflection. The color of his eyes were a definite black. They were the night sky without the interruption of stars.

 _Were._

The raven leaned even closer to the point of his lashes poking the mirror. It was confusing really. If Misaji noticed anything about himself, it was his body going through changes. Even the smallest. Like the color of his eyes turning a medium shade of brown. The brown of an oak tree. He was sure about his eye color, so when he had looked in the mirror one morning and saw Madoka instead of himself, the boy began to think.

He got a fever from his son who was sick just a week prior. But Misaji noticed that his fever had been more severe lately. He had hidden it well: the stomach pain, sweating, diarrhea, weight loss, all of it. It was a stomach bug that was taking a little too long to die hard. But Misaji was strong, he dealt with things better than the average man. He was strong and he could fight through it.

 _I'm going through changes._

The boy's hand slipped on the sink and his face crashed into the mirror clumsily. Groaning, he stood fully, rubbing the now sore flesh.

"Saji, are you alright in there?"

The fourteen-year-old jumped although it the bathroom door was locked. He rubbed his face as if to clear it and dusted himself off. "Yeah, dad. I'm fine."

Maso's silence that followed was hesitant as if he didn't believe his son. "Alright. We're going to the pharmacy to get you some fever medicine. Kaito will be going with us."

"Okay. Bye, love you." Maso only grunted, probably in embarrassment, as he walked away from the door. Misaji only laughed, not offended by his father's stone heart. "Old man." He mumbled.

Another ten minutes passed before he finally emerged from the house's only bathroom. The raven looked around the vacant space but jumped when he saw his older brother at the kitchen table. Minato had a cigarette in his mouth as he stared at his sickly brother. Misaji rubbed his arm. He didn't like the way his brother stared as if he saw right through him and he especially didn't like being scrutinized. When Misaji was scrutinized, he scrutinized right back.

"You know dad hates cigarette smells."

Minato smiled at him. But it wasn't harsh or intimidating or even sarcastic. It was genuine. All Minato's smiles were. "And dad also hates that you're losing too much weight much too fast."

The second born sneered softly. He couldn't believe the family had been speaking behind his back. All over some fever that was nothing but small. He could handle himself as he always had and he always would. He said nothing as he strode past Minato, his feet begging a journey to the fridge as his stomach grumbled.

"Are you sure it's just a little fever, Saji?" The raven tensed. His fake eyes went to his brother, whose blue eyes showed nothing but concern. "It could be the flu which should be taken more seriously."

Saji sighed, but he vowed to wait until he was alone to sigh in relief. The boy stood and glared softly at Minato. He began walking around the table to get to his room. "Leave me alone," he whispered.

The boy stopped suddenly and held his head. It hurt. That was the only thing that went through his tremored mind as it pulsed with the steady dying of his heart. Misaji Namikaze had never felt like this before. He was not only extremely smart, he was also physically strong. Misaji _never_ really got sick up until now. His entire body was taking a very hard plunge into the depths of pain and the only thing his soul could do was watch.

 _I'm going through changes._

"Saji, are you alright?"

The boy growled and let go of his temple, ignoring the lighting he could see in his vision although there was no rain. He began marching this time around because walking wasn't getting him away from lingering eyes anytime soon. "Look...I don't bother you about what you do in the Yakuza gang of yours, so stay out of my...ouch!"

Misaji grabbed his stomach and squeezed tight, but it didn't make him feel any better. The lighting became more fierce in his eyes as he tried moving to sit down. But no seat or rest came. Only a fearful feeling as his vision moved closer to the ground second by second. Until there was nothing, not even Minato's scream was enough to wake him.

* * *

 _Tokyo Medical University Hospital_

 _Tokyo, Japan_

 _1968_

His fake eyes fluttered opened at the sound of voices inside the room. He didn't want to open them because his head was still pounding and he felt like he might die at any moment.

A man was speaking, but it wasn't his father's voice. His father's voice was strong, confident, and intelligent, the true voice of a Cryptologic Linguist. This voice was small, not weak, but only filled with intelligence and all knowing.

"I'm not sure if you're understanding me, Namikaze-san. Human Immunodeficiency Virus is not a disease. It's a virus. And an infective agent that typically consists of nucleic acid molecule. HIV is a virus spread through certain body fluids that attacks the body's immune system, specifically the CD4 cells, often called T cells. Over time, HIV can destroy so many of these cells that the body can't fight off infections and disease. Opportunistic infections or cancers take advantage of a very weak immune system and signal that the person has AIDS, which is the stage your son is in right now."

"Ah done heard of dis." The voice belonged to Betsy, who sounded as if she'd been crying for hours. Her voice is hoarse and desperate now, but Misaji can still tell that it's her. "It's becomin a bigga problem back home. The AIDS epidemic. Please explain this more, doctor. Ah have to know if he's alright."

"Unlike other viruses, HIV cannot be rid of. Once it's in the body, it's there for life. And the more it destroys T cells, the more dangerous it becomes. Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, or AIDS, is the most severe phase of HIV infection. People with AIDS have such badly damaged immune systems that they get an increasing number of severe illnesses, called opportunistic infections. Misaji is in this stage; his eye color is changing along with his deteriorating eyesight. He has unintentional weight loss, his diarrhea is severe, and many other symptoms."

"Oh, God." Betsy sounded hysterical and Misaji imagined her hugging Maso with all her might as if the action would cure him. Dammit, how could he have been so stupid? No doubt, he acquired the virus from Fusō. And there was nothing to do about it now. The doctor had told them right. His infection was there to stay, which meant having a higher risk of getting sick than anyone else.

"Please don't fear." The doctor mumbled. "Based on the medical reports coming in from America and how dangerous and fast AIDS can kill you, I have to say Misaji is one strong boy. Although his immune system is weak, he was clearly fighting with everything he had. Had he admitted what was happening to his body sooner, his collapsing could have been avoided."

"So what are you saying?" His father sounded afraid too, which is a first. And Misaji was optimistic enough to imagine going home and telling his brothers the tale he lived to see-er….hear.

"I'm saying your boy's a fighter. Whatever this life-threatening infection is, it's having a damn hard time killing him. Despite research, I'm expecting your son will live a long life."

And finally, Misaji Namikaze's eyes opened. The boy looked around the bright room before he spotted Betsy, Maso, and the doctor at the foot of his bed. Although his throat was sore, the boy tried speaking. "Dad. Mom." He whispered. The words came out croaky and cracked and Misaji didn't know if it was the result of puberty, AIDS, or the fall.

Betsy's and Maso's heads snapped toward the top of the hospital bed and as premeditated, Betsy's hands went to her mouth to cover the gape and her eyes filled with tears. "Saji," she whispered.

Saji's eyes filled with tears as the words and diagnosis finally sunk in. All the pain and the secrets and the hurt he had put them through. And finally, his words, the words that had been trying to come out all this time since he first lost his virginity to Fusō, filled the atmosphere of the room.

"I'm going through changes."

* * *

 _Tokyo-Shinagawa Hospital_

 _Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan_

 _January 13, 2005_

 _12:05 AM_

Misaji shook his head, trying to avoid his son's fearful eyes. "Despite Kaito dying two years later and despite my having AIDS, I went back to Fusō like a stray dog. Ten years later, I did. I wanted to believe that it was because she was the only one that I could have sex with because of our common misfortunes, but I knew I was being reckless. Because I had lived ten years after being diagnosed, I knew it was because I was overconfident. I wanted to feel like I was immortal, and for a while, I did." He looked up and Nagato looked away. "And then you came, Nagato."

Nagato didn't speak and it was clear that it was too much to take in for a moment. Not only did his father acquire AIDS from his mother, but he also had a dead brother.

Instead, Karin spoke for him as she slumped in her chair, her mood now dimmed. "Jesus Christ." She whispered. The story was sad. With a virus like AIDS, and an immune system as weak as his, her uncle could obtain and deadly disease and be gone...just like that. And so she whispered again "Jesus Christ."

Madoka stared from his hospital bed, tears in his brown eyes. "You never told us you were sick. When you came out of the hospital that day, Minato and I though-"

Misaji shook his head. "You didn't need to know because I didn't need the pity. I've made it this long...and I can make it longer. No use in crying about it because I sure don't."

" _How_?" Naruto looked at his older cousin that finally spoke. Nagato's fist were balled and for the first time since he was a child, his red hair covered those brown eyes that looked purple in the sun. "How could you keep something that vital away from me? My own brother."

"Kaito was my burden to mourn. There was no need to ever tell you. Whether Genma's brother attacked Madoka that night or not, Kaito wouldn't have lived past five years old."

"What?" Madoka questioned.

Misaji looked down and Naruto noticed that there were tears in his eyes. That was the first time he had ever seen Misaji cry and he would have smirked had it not been under these circumstances. "Kaito had gotten the HIV virus from his mother. He wasn't like me. He would have died and so I erased his memory from my life."

Nagato's eyes widened. "I don't-"

"No." His father erupted. "I got you checked for the virus first thing when you were born and there was no sign of it. And every year after that, I got you checked until I realized you would never acquire it. Besides, you wouldn't be here if you did have it. I had it in my mind that I would give you up if you got it. I'm sorry. I couldn't go through another Kaito. But you came out like me."

"Strong?" Naruto whispered.

And Misaji snorted, sniffing his tears up. "Hell no. Not strong at all. Just lucky."

* * *

 _Namikaze Household_

 _Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan_

 _January 13, 2005_

 _2:00 PM_

Sasuke sat the boy on the floor right before his soft oatmeal. Before the man even had a chance to turn away, his baby looked at the food and stomped his entire fist in it.

Saku brought his hand from the warm cereal and stuffed it in his mouth, unaware of his mother watching with crossed arms. The raven thanked the heavens that he had put a full onesie over Saku's day outfit. Seeing as the boy would be wearing his food more than eating, he thanked the deities graciously.

Crouching down, he smiled softly at the baby, his eyes closed shut in amusement. "You're lucky you're as cute as me. Otherwise, this would turn out different." When he opened his eyes, Saku's slick smile was almost proof that he knew his mother was lying.

The baby took his saliva hand and dipped it back into the bowl of food. When he brought it out, he put it in Sasuke's face, offering the food.

"Oh?"

Saku pushed his fist even closer then, his mouth opening in anticipation. Sasuke got the message then, loud and clear although the baby said nothing. He leaned forward and kissed his son's hand, pretending that he was eating the porridge. "Mm. Mm. Yummy." He declared, wiping some now cool oats from his mouth.

Saku smiled proudly as if he had been the one to prepare the dish. He smiled when Sasuke leaned closer to kiss his cheek. "Now you just wait here while I get your stroller ready." Saku continued to stare when he stood. Sasuke only laughed. "Eat, Saku. I'll be back."

Sasuke moved out of the pen area and locked the small gate, wasting no time to move upstairs. Saku wouldn't be alone for long, but Sasuke still found it odd to leave his son for more than three minutes.

"Don't worry. I'll watch him."

Sasuke smiled as his husband walked into the living room, Saku's diapers beneath an arm. "And that's why I love you." He winked.

Naruto laughed softly and strode closer before Sasuke could escape. Wrapping an arm around the man's waist, he kissed him. And then he kissed his nose, then neck, then the ear, then jaw.

Sasuke laughed softly. "Naruto, I have to get Saku's things for the park."

"But you can stay with me just a little longer. Saku loves that food."

Sasuke looked at his husband. And then his eyes trailed down. God, what a sight Naruto's form was without the slithe look of a tuxedo. "Ah what the hell." Throwing his arms around Naruto's neck, the man smiled.

Naruto blinked. "You really belong with me."

Sasuke shrugged. "Well, you give good dick so-"

"Sasuke," Naruto mumbled, baffled. "Saku is a baby."

As if understanding his name from his father's mouth, Saku looked up, dropping food on his leg. The boy smiled softly and lifted his arms as a way for Naruto to pick him up. Naruto sighed, a soft smile playing on his lips. "Duty calls."

Sasuke sighed and dramatically left the living room. True to his belief, it took him less than three minutes to get Saku's stroller ready, the straps on the back being endless to what could be stored. His baby food, diapers, medicine, a change of clothes. Sasuke liked packing everything to be sure that their son was secured.

The man was fast and there was no surprise on Naruto's face when he came back with everything ready. He looked fully packed up for not a day at the park, but a road trip if some sort. "Alrighty." Sasuke smiled. He pulled the shade of the stroller down to cover Saku. "Come on, Naruto. We're ready to go."

Naruto covered his mouth to stifle his laugh. "Sasuke?"

The raven looked to him in curiosity, halfway out the door. "Hn? What is it?"

Naruto pointed and his husband followed his finger. All the way to where Saku was still sitting, still eating, and not ready to go. He blushed heavily. "How could I get the stroller ready and not him?"

* * *

 _Camp Kinser, US Military Base_

 _Okinawa, Japan_

 _1954_

Betsy's brows furrowed as she placed the baby back in his crib and wrote down her observations. She was surprised as any midwife would have been if they found peculiar factors during birth.

"All healthy, Linda. All three of them." She looked toward the woman on the bed. Linda put a hand on her sweaty forehead and moved the damp hair off.

"That's good. You've got my bag ready, right?"

Betsy nodded. She still didn't understand why Linda was withdrawing from camp, but the woman was her friend. She could never stop supporting her, no matter her decisions. "All packed. Do you want to name-"

"No," Linda muttered. "Let him do it. No use of leavin my mark on boys Ah couldn't even bare to hold for the first time."

Betsy nodded. "Ah'm going to wait a day to take them to Maso's tent. Ah don't know how they'll react to the weather."

Linda moved the cover from legs and sat up. "Fine by me. I'll be gone by tomorra so ain't no worryin from me."

Betsy only nodded again.

When tomorrow came and the boys had settled in, Betsy wasted no time to take them to Maso's tent.

"What do you mean she's gone?" Maso looked hurt and Betsy couldn't imagine the pain and betrayal he was facing. To gain three sons, but lose a lover, it looked painful sitting on his face.

Betsy looked down. "Exactly that. She left last night with a few soldiers that were honorably discharged. She left you the three boys."

Maso took some time to adjust to the thought now. Betsy calculated. It took almost a whole hour. But she stood there staring at his back just in case he fell back. She stood there for almost an hour before Maso stood and began walking to her and the boys.

He stared at them quietly for a moment. Like Linda, he said nothing. So Betsy took the opportunity, as she had wanted to for the past day. "They're so cute, Maso."

And she was true to her word. The three triplets were so adorable. One of them looked like Linda while the other two took after Maso. Maso found it odd to look at the blond one, but he was strong. He always had been strong, so he sucked in his fears. "What are their names?"

Betsy shrugged with a small smile. "Up to you."

And since it was all his choice, Maso took it at his will. The oldest, the one that looked like Linda, he named him after his father: Minato. The second born with the pitch black eyes, he named him after his brother: Misaji.

When he got to the last one, Betsy stopped him. "'Fore you name him, I want ya to know somethin bout him. This boy ain't really like the other ones." She mumbled softly, rubbing the baby's cheek. "He looks male, but he has a female genital beneath his penis."

Maso's head turned to the side. "I'm sorry?"

Betsy shook her head. "It's an upcoming thing that many doctors and scientists have yet to fully understand, but an intersex is someone that doesn't feel male or female."

Maso took hold of the baby and watched closely. "So this baby isn't a boy or a girl."

Betsy shrugged. "He can be whatever you want to raise him as until it's time for him to choose what he wants to be. He has the genitalia of both a male and a female, so whatever he chooses, is the right thing."

* * *

 _Maso Namikaze's Household_

 _Kabukicho, Tokyo, Japan_

 _1983_

"You what?!"

Madoka flinched at his father's roar. He was scared no doubt. But Minato had taken him to the hospital recently and after what he had found out himself, the boy knew he couldn't hold it in. Once another month came, he would begin to show. So despite it being scary, it was better to tell his family now.

Everyone knew about his condition. It had been a constant burden since he was a child. But being intersex wasn't the issue at hand. The issue wasn't even his pregnancy.

After Kaito's murder, Genma had come to him begging for forgiveness for a crime he didn't commit. Minato was foolish enough to join a gang. Misaji foolish enough to knock someone up again. And Madoka was foolish enough to talk to Genma again, the same man he's been with and the only.

Madoka looked down. "I'm pregnant, dad. You know I'm an int-"

"I know that! I want to hear the father's name again!"

Madoka couldn't take it. Everyone was staring at him. Misaji rocked his son on his hip. "Dad. You're scaring Nagato."

Maso sighed. "How could you allow yourself to talk to the brother of the very man that killed your own nephew? How could you get pregnant by him of all people?"

Madoka was ashamed. Not only did he make his father angry, but he had disgraced Kaito's death.

"Get out."

The man looked up, his eyes wide. Everyone was staring at Maso now, but he was glaring at his youngest son. "Dad?"

"Get. Out." He said again. "Leave my house and don't come back. I don't care where you go, just leave. You will soon understand that this family is the only thing that needs to be valued. Until you do, leave."

Betsy pushed Maso slightly. "Now wait just a-"

" _Stop it,"_ Maso growled. "He's leaving. I don't care what anyone says. This is my house."

* * *

It was a full-time job being homeless and it was a full-time job being poor. When Madoka had left the house months ago, it was a little easier. He wasn't showing at all. But now nine months pregnant, the man needed to sleep lighter in the homeless shelter. Other men didn't take kindly to the type of person he was.

On top of that, it was hard to find a job being the person he was. And if he were ever hired, where would he put his money besides the shelter? Beside prying eyes?

"You alright?"

The 24-year-old turned on his makeshift cot to the soft voice that was Honoka Uzumaki. Honoka was definitely related to the women at the brothel, but she was different. She didn't want to be a prostitute, and that had made her go on to look for jobs. It turned out to be hard for her too, and she had ended up homeless.

Madoka was glad to have her by his side in this turmoil. She was a balance really; she inspired him made him laugh; comforted him when he thought of his family.

When he had told her the story of why he was homeless, going all the way back to 12 years ago, she had accepted him still.

 _We all make mistakes, dear, so just put it behind you. We should regret our mistakes and learn from them, but never carry them into the future with us._

He smiled. "Yeah. Just tired."

"You're brother coming today?" She knew about that too. About Misaji bringing him food and a few dollars to keep him alive until he returned.

He only nodded. He didn't like talking about Misaji coming here with money. It scared him and he didn't want his brother to get hurt by anyone. Honoka just smiled softly, understanding although he hadn't said a thing.

He checked the time again and noticed that it was almost time for Misaji to show. He stood, told the woman he'd return and left the shelter.

The shelter in Kabukichō is in a dangerous part of the neighborhood and it's surrounded by dark streets and alleyways. Madoka didn't like it, but he had adapted to the change. Besides, if Misaji came down here unafraid, why should he be?

The man walked beside the shelter and stood close to the alley, clutching the knife in his pocket.

"Hey." Madoka jumped slightly and turned into the alley, squinting enough to see three tall figures inside. "Got anything for me?"

Madoka sneered at the obvious thugs and lifted his weapon out of his pocket. "Just this? You want it?"

The man who had asked him stepped back slightly, the sight of the weapon and the clear threat obviously disturbing him. Then he began to walk closer….him and his friends. "Real cute, faggot."

"Don't come any closer to me," Madoka warned.

"Or what?"

"Or I'll chop you up, bitch."

They still shifted closer. Slightly, but still closer. "Filthy mouth for a faggot."

God, he hated that word. "Watch your mouth?"

The leader moved closer. "Or what?" He asked again, amusement sewn into his tone. He wasn't taking Madoka seriously and that scared the Namikaze.

Madoka tensed as a hand grabbed his shoulder. His only thought was they had him cornered. Turning with swiftness, the man stabbed his enemy twice. Once in the chest and then in the gut, just like Minato taught him.

He froze.

The three behind him shuffled. "Kami." He muttered afraid. "He just stabbed her. Let's get out of here."

And then they were gone, leaving Madoka and Honoka to stare at one another in shock. Honoka coughed, spraying blood on him.

"Madoka." She whispered.

Madoka removed the knife and grabbed Honoka immediately before she collapsed. "Honoka." He cried. "I'm sorry. Fuck, I'm sorry. Stay awake, okay? I'm gonna…." He looked around the alley for something, anything, but found nothing. "I'm gonna go get help."

But he didn't have the chance. Honoka had died a while ago. And then it was only the shell of her corpse breathing heavy and riding the wave before that stopped working too.

He cried. Why did he just run? Why did he stab as soon as he turned around?

"Madoka….what? What happened?"

The boy covered his eyes before he laid Honoka on the ground. He stood without looking at his brother.

"Madoka? Are you alright? What happened?"

Madoka took off, leaving his brother to call his name. He turned back to the man as he skidded the alley. "Come on!"

* * *

 _Tokyo-Shinagawa Hospital_

 _Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan_

 _January 13, 2005_

 _12:37 AM_

"You lied again," Karin whispered, wiping her wet tears. "You lied to me again."

Madoka looked down. "I wanted to forget and this was all my doing, Karin. I wanted to forget about what I'd done to Honoka and because of my struggles during the pregnancy, I chose to forget it. And despite Nagato and your uncles knowing, I told them to keep it a secret."

"But you just killed him," Karin whispered. Naruto leaned forward. He didn't understand what was happening or what she was talking about. Was this person that he killed the reason of his breakdown? "You killed Genma and didn't even give him a chance."

"He may not have lied about being your father, but he isn't important. Genma never cared about you. He didn't leave because I wanted nothing to do with him. When I got kicked out of the house, Genma didn't want to take me in. He wanted nothing to do with you. Besides," the man closed his eyes and crossed his arms. "Anyone who tries to turn my daughter against me should be murdered in nothing but cold blood. Genma deserved what he got."

Naruto smirked. "Were you angry with him?"

"Genma?" Madoka whispered, grabbing Karin's hand softly.

Naruto shook his head. "No. I mean...were you angry with Grandpa? For kicking you out?"

Madoka sunk into his pillow. "At first, I was. But I became stronger because of it. I became my own person and I learned a lot about myself. I forgave myself and dad. Yes, he overreacted, but I feel like I hurt Kaito. I was angry at him and me. But you learn from things."

Naruto hummed quietly and went quiet for a while.

* * *

 _Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan_

 _2:15 PM_

Sasuke loved looking at the sky when the afternoon made its mark on the world. It was yet to be the pink, orange, and purple of dying day, but he enjoyed simply looking at the blue sky. It was the color of Naruto's eyes and-

"If you keep looking up at the sky, you're going to crash his stroller. If you crash his stroller, I'll kill you." Naruto murmured, watching his husband lovingly. Sasuke was obviously fascinated by the color of the sky. The man turned with a smile, ignoring his husband's threat.

"The sky," He murmured. "It reminds me of your eyes."

Naruto only smiled softly, the gesture is enough to tell Sasuke exactly how he felt about the comment.

"It does." He confirmed.

The raven turned away then, focusing on his path to the park then. They were silent, the only sounds being Saku playing with the rubber toy he liked so much. The baby enjoyed the toy as much as Koshaku and Joō loved rubber balls. All the time, he was seen with it and Sasuke liked it too.

"Ahh." Naruto moved forward and peaked into the stroller, smiling when he saw the boy's hand in his son's mouth. "You sure do like that straw hat kid don't you?" He asked. Saku liked the boy from that cartoon that was coming on television. He liked it so much that Sasuke didn't hesitate to buy him an actual straw hat with a red cloth around it.

"He is so cute." The squeal of a woman made Sasuke halt. Both he and Naruto put a hand on their waistbands, ready to draw a weapon if need be. Koshaku jumped before the stroller with a soft growl.

"Good boy." Naruto murmured to him.

Sometimes a walk to the park couldn't just be a walk in the park if Ōmo and Psycho were involved. When Sasuke noticed the frail old woman coming toward them, he raised a brow and lowered his hand. Naruto didn't however and it was almost funny how his husband trusted no one around his family.

The raven smiled. "Do you mean the dog? He is really adorable?" Sasuke looked innocent enough asking the question, but Naruto knew the psycho was playing with the woman's mind. Koshaku looked anything but adorable as he sat, with slob running down his chin. If anything, he looked rabid. Naruto snorted and finally lowered his hand as the woman blushed in embarrassment.

"The dog? No. I meant the baby." She looked at Saku, who smiled. The hat fell down a little, covering his eyes and the boy sneezed softly, confused and bewildered by the sudden darkness. And she squealed again.

She looked to Sasuke. "I can tell he's yours. He looks just like you. And he's so cute that the mother must be gorgeous."

She isn't lying when she says Saku is cute because he resembles Sasuke. His dark lashes are long and full, his obsidian eyes are the night sky. He had Naruto's lips and his nose, as well as his tan skinned.

Naruto laughed. "Yeah. His mother is the most beautiful man in Japan." And the small statement makes the woman twist her head in confusion. Naruto pointed to himself. "I'm his father." And when the realization of just who they are sink in, the old woman just shrugs and bends to wave to Saku. "He's still a darling. After all, he is a Namikaze."

Sasuke smiled too. Anyone who called his baby cute got a smile in his book. "Yeah." He agreed. "He has really good genes."

And despite everything that was happening, Naruto believed him.

* * *

 _Namikaze Home_

 _Kabukicho, Tokyo, Japan_

 _April 1992_

The Inagawa-kai is the third largest Yakuza family in Japan, with roughly 15,000 members divided into 313 clans. It's based in the Tokyo-Yokohama area and was one of the first yakuza families to expand its operations outside of Japan.

One of the 313 clans is the Namikaze clan, started no doubt by Minato Namikaze to provide for his family. Minato Namikaze, as far as Nagato knew, was not a working-class man. He didn't keep up with the status quo and he wasn't into traditional societal values. He was a gang member ever since he was 13 years old, or so his dad had told him.

Nagato believed it though. Uncle Minato was a hard loving man, showing his affection to his own son by beating his ass on occasion. He never really said a thing around the house, but he was the obvious leader. Misaji followed him, Madoka followed him. His word was law and anyone going against that could see their own way out.

The 14-year-old peeked into the living room, his brown eyes narrowing at the meeting taking place. Another clan was there. The Tadashi family, run by Fey Tadashi. Three large men that looked exceptionally tougher than the Namikaze triplets. The boy was happy these men were on their side because maybe his father and uncle wouldn't stand a chance against them. Well, Minato maybe, but his father and Madoka? Never.

They were discussing a rogue member of the Yakuza by the name of Inoichi Yamanaka, a man that had stolen money from the oyabun, the big boss of the Inagawa-kai. Inoichi had gone missing and rogue a few months prior and Nagato supposed it was his father and uncles job, along with these burly men, to find him.

Which Nagato didn't think would be a problem. Uncle Minato was like a fox in the forest. When he wanted someone found, he sniffed them out and got them. There wasn't a man that Minato never found if he was looking.

Nagato felt a stinging pain in his ear and winced softly. He grabbed hold of the now red organ and turned. Betsy was there, glaring down at him, her jacket on her body and he suitcase in her hand.

"What chu spyin on, boy? What I tell you bout stickin yo nose in grown folks business?"

Nagato rubbed his ear and defended himself. "I wasn't spying."

She blinked. "Don't lie to me, you hear?" Nagato put his head down in shame, his red hair covering his eyes. Betsy sighed and rubbed his head soothingly. "Keep tellin Saji to get these bangs cut. Got my baby lookin like a jungle in Japan."

Nagato laughed softly at her humor, although there was a hunch in his body that told him she was serious. He hugged her. "Why do you have to leave?"

Betsy smiled. "Now you know, I always have to see my sista in the spring, but I'll be back in May. As always."

Nagato sighed and let her go, watching as the woman moved out into the living room, unintentionally stopping the meeting. The three Tadashi men looked at her, their eyes widening. It was as if they had never seen anything like her.

Nagato didn't like the way they stared at her. Yes, they stared in shock as if they had never seen her before, but there was a hunger to it. Fey's eyes narrowed slightly as if to get a closer look at the now embarrassed lady. And Nagato sneered softly when he licked his lips.

The woman waved softly. "Didn't mean to interrupt. Just passin through. Minato, my flight is gonna be here in an hour. So I'll be out in about ten minutes."

Minato stood, and Nagato was sure that wasn't a proper custom in the Yakuza to stand during a meeting and completely ignore your guests. Uncle Minato was so brave. "Do you need a ride, ma?"

Nagato didn't miss the way Fey's eyes widened at the name Minato had given. Betsy didn't age the same way other people did. In fact, it seemed to be a trait in her race. She was 64, but she looked to be well between 30 and 35.

Betsy shook her head. "No. I already have a taxi on its way. Just wanted to let you know. No need to stop this meetin of yours."

Fey Tadashi stood slowly. And when he talked to Minato, he never looked away from Betsy. Not even once. His eyes stayed on her as if she were a diamond in the rough. A fruit just ripe. "No worries. We have all the information we need, Minato-san. We'll be heading out."

Minato hummed and shook Fey's hand. "Thank you. Here, I'll show you three out." Minato led them to the door as they all spoke quietly to one another.

Betsy looked back at Nagato. "You can come out now, Naruto. They leavin."

Nagato's eyes widened and behind him came Naruto, almost skidding into the living room and running into Betsy's leg. He hugged her with a big smile. "You'll be back right?"

"I always do, little man."

"In May."

"Always May."

And Nagato smiled softly. It was cute how despite his shyness, Naruto adored Betsy.

True to her word, Betsy did leave ten minutes later. Her taxi didn't arrive, but she wanted to the standing on the sidewalk when it did. So Nagato, Karin, and Naruto tearfully hugged her goodbye while she pep-talked the older triplets. When she was gone, Karin had gone to sleep in her room and Naruto and ran to his and Nagato's room, wishing to be alone.

Nagato watched her leave. He watched her leave the house with his bag and stand on the sidewalk. He loved his granny so much. He loved that she did everything on her own and had inspired his father and uncles to do the same. Betsy did that sort of thing. She led by example.

He would watch her until her taxi came because, like Naruto, Nagato would miss her too. However, the boy watched three men walk up to her. No doubt, they were the same men that just left this home. Fey and cousins. They were smiling and talking with Betsy, an odd sight due to the danger aura they let off. But the peculiar thing was Betsy smiling back, talking as if she were telling a story. What were they talking about, he wondered. Was it their confusion on Betsy's age? Their confusion on how she could be a mother to the triplets? Nagato wanted to know so bad.

"Nagato!" Misaji yelled from the back room. "I told you to take out the trash!"

The fourteen-year-old yelped and moved away from the window, running to the kitchen. He looked in the fridge and sought out the spoiled food and leftovers that no one would eat. It took him only five minutes to fill the trash bag since he was so eager to go outside and speak with Betsy before she left.

Misaji raised a brow. "In a hurry or not, double that trash bag before it rips." And Nagato complied swiftly, confusing his father even more.

The boy tied the bag once more and slung it over his shoulder, rushing to the front door and pulling it open. Betsy was gone. Nagato sighed and slumped to the front, dumping the bag in its rightful can. Her taxi must have come already.

Looking up and down the street, he didn't see the Tadashi family either. Sighing again, the teen closed the trash can and retreated to his home, his mood down.

And when he had done that, he failed to notice the taxi that pulled up to the curb. The driver would wait twenty whole minutes before leaving, no human in his backseat. And Betsy Johnson would never board that plane to America.

* * *

 _Tokyo-Shinagawa Hospital_

 _Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan_

 _January 13, 2005_

 _12:50 AM_

This was more than silence. A deaf person could feel vibrations. Here, there was nothing to feel. Seeing Naruto sit there, unresponsive made Nagato realize that silence did indeed have a sound. The moment was long. Karin was holding her breath. When Naruto stood and looked up again, his face was wet with tears.

Those blue eyes never looked away from Nagato. "You Motherfucker!"

Before anyone could stop him, Ōmo had tackled Nagato. And when they were fighting, Naruto wasn't fighting with anger or courage. He was only fighting with pain. It was the only thing he had left. "How could you!?" He screamed.

They were knocking things over; hospital equipment that Karin was sure the hospital needed to treat their patients. After five minutes of them tussling and scrambling on the floor, the hospital door opened. The nurse, a small woman with a small heart, gasped at the sight. "Excuse, but I'm going to have to ask you both to leave. You're disturbing our patient."

Madoka raised his hand to stop her. "Leave it. I'm not bothered."

She stared baffled at him. "But sir-"

"He said fucking leave it." Karin lifted her shirt far enough to show her bra, but the real prize was the gun tucked between her skin and her loose pants. The nurse shut the door and left quickly. Karin sighed, watching Naruto punch Nagato in the face. "Nothing like watching your relatives fight, I always say."

The woman cracked her knuckles and went over to her cousins. She grabbed Naruto's shirt and yanked him away. There was no use of grabbing Nagato; the man wasn't fighting back. "There's no use in fighting, Naruto. It won't bring her back!" She had to admit, it hurt. To know that Nagato had a chance to speak, and to know that he saw the final moments before she was killed. But fighting would solve nothing.

Naruto pushed away but made no move to attack again. "Betsy could still be alive, Karin."

And that one stung because maybe she could have.

Nagato looked down and fell to the floor. "I'm sorry." He cried quietly. "I saw it. I saw the way Fey looked at her. And him talking to her outside. I understood her disappearance and I knew something had happened even before the police found her body a year later. That night, in the back of my mind, I wondered if Fey could have done something when I was away from the window. But I was so afraid that I made myself believe her taxi already came. When Karin told us that her boyfriend knew it was Fey that did it, I wanted to kill myself. I deserved death."

Naruto looked hurt. He had never seen Nagato like this. And he slumped to the floor too. He had just attacked his hero, but he couldn't get over the fact that Nagato could have said something to the triplets. He couldn't let that go. Betsy could still be alive if he had just...God, it hurt.

He hugged his knees to his chest, burying his face in them. "If Betsy were still alive, this family wouldn't be falling apart."

* * *

 _Namikaze Household_

 _Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan_

 _February 20, 2005_

 _12:00 AM_

"Naruto." The soft voice in his ear belongs to Sasuke Namikaze, formerly Sasuke Uchiha, the cute college kid he met two years ago. Naruto laughs at his own sleepy thoughts before turning away from the voice. His body shook. "Naruto." The whisper came again.

The blond grunts softly, a warning to his husband that he's sleepy as hell. It doesn't warn however, it provokes. The wild beast Sasuke continues lurking around his prey, whispering and shaking until his victim is weak enough. The Sasuke is one of the most dangerous creatures in all of Japan, its origins sprouting from the Kyushu Island.

"Naruto."

" _What,_ Sasuke?" Despite his headache, the blond's blue eyes open. The clock on his bedside table reads exactly 12:00 AM and he resists the urge to hiss like an animal. If he does, he'll only stoop to his current enemy's level.

"Wakeup," Sasuke whispers, softer now. "Something's wrong?"

Naruto sits up with a huff. "Did you pee yourself again?"

"No." Sasuke hisses. And then his eyes narrow. "How did you know about that?"

"You're not exactly subtle when it comes to changing sheets. Especially when a body is on them."

Sasuke blinks. "Ju-on: The Grudge was a scary movie. And Joō didn't want to take me to the bathroom." And then his eyes widen. "Naruto...that isn't the point, idiot."

"Is someone in the house?" Naruto reaches over and grabs the key beneath his bedside table. Unlocking the drawer, the man pulled out a pistol and stood, his body wobbling from tiredness.

"No."

"What is it, babe?"

Sasuke smiles big and mischievously and Naruto wants to knock the shit right off his pretty face. "What day is it?"

Naruto huffs. "February 19th."

"Guess again. It's 12:02 in the morning."

 _Exactly,_ he wants to grumble, but he knows Sasuke won't leave him alone until he gets what he wants; whatever it is that he wants. "February 20."

"And do you know what this means?" Naruto huffs and Sasuke smiles in an encouraging and very annoying way. "Go on. I know you know. I want to hear you say it."

"Saku Namikaze is two months old officially." He says it with as much enthusiasm as he can bring to the table and it comes out sounding as if he's reading an encyclopedia. His guess is right though as Sasuke squeals loudly. "If you do this every month, I want a divorce." He mumbles.

Sasuke scoffs and stands himself. He grabs hold of Naruto's hand with excitement. "And lose this fine piece of ass to someone punk in the streets? Please. Come on, let's go see him."

And Naruto Namikaze is so in love that he follows Sasuke.

* * *

 _K Village School_

 _Kabukicho, Tokyo, Japan_

 _1994_

Karin likes that finally, at the age of fourteen, she's developing. Puberty had been going on for two years now, but the unexciting things happened. Her hips grew a bit, and when she first saw it she thought she was getting chubby. But Madako, god bless his soul for being brave enough to have the talk with her, had told her everything she needed to know about the scary changes of puberty.

Two years ago, hair on her private and armpits began to grow and she hated it. Madoka had flooded the house with shaving cream and razors for her. He had even fretted and put her through the torture of watching videos on how to properly shave pubic hair for young women. She experienced a sharp growth spurt in height. In addition, Karin had started menstruation. She had seen blood in her panties one day and screamed. That was the day Madoka fretted and flooded the house with pads. Pads that kept disappearing until everyone found out Naruto was using them for his pirate adventures.

The girl shuddered, remembering the memories of going through those changes. She leaned back in the school bathroom and admired her chest. Finally, her chest began to develop. She didn't care if it were still small or even if they looked like cones for the moment. Breasts were breasts. And breasts meant that she was a woman.

"Whoever is in the bathroom, come out right now." The girl squealed at the sound of her homeroom teachers voice and tried to be silent. "I already heard you. And unless you want me to get a female teacher here, I demand you come out now."

Karin sighed and walked out of the girl's room slumped. Of all people that caught her, it had to be the man who's very class she was skipping at the moment. He gasped when he saw who she was. "Karin." He said disapprovingly. "I knew you came to school today. I saw you during breakfast." He sighed. "Why can't you be more like your cousin?"

Karin scowled at the comparison between her and Nagato. The brash girl crossed her arms. "And why should I come to your dumb class anymore? I'm a grown woman." She pointed to herself smugly. "I started growing."

Ko Inuzuka, her teacher, scowled. "Is that so? Well, since you're a woman, you don't mind taking responsibility. Detention after school and your father will be hearing about this."

At the mention of her father, the only thing that went through Karin's mind was his belt and the ass whooping she'd get when she got home. Her entire demeanor changed. "Please don't tell my father."

Inuzuka-sensei crossed his arms. "But, you're grown, Karin. You can handle it. Get to class now."

The girl listened and she sulked her way to class.

True to word, Karin sat grumpily in detention while her teacher went on and on about the importance of school. "Which is why I want you and Nagato to come in every Wednesday so he can tutor you." The was about the only thing she heard.

The girl sighed dramatically and put her head down. Inuzuka-sensei sighed too. "Karin, you're failing my class. If you don't step it up, you're going to fail this entire year. Math is important." She said nothing. "Come here, Karin. Look at this paper you did a while back."

The girl contemplated not moving at all, but then she remembered that he would be telling her father anyway. She didn't want didn't want disobedience to be added to her sentence, so she stood and walked over to his desk. Slow and with attitude, but still to him.

When she was before his desk, she saw the paper with her name on it and the score. _5 out of 20._ Her father was going to kill her or bury her alive. The teacher shook his head. "Around here. We need to work on these problems together."

The girl complied, even slower than the first time. And when she was standing beside him, her thigh touching his knee, the man began to explain. "If Y equals the square root of three over X, and Y is 15, the math is simple. How could you not see that, Karin?"

She didn't care. She hated school so much.

"Karin, are you listening?"

The girl looked up just as her sensei placed his large hand around her small arm and pulled. He pulled until she was directly before him and her face was directly before the paper.

"I'm not dealing with anymore Namikaze's again, so read these problems out loud and tell me why they're wrong."

With puberty came uncomfortability. Karin had could feel his knees on her butt as she read the problems out loud. Even so, she kept reading because he told her to.

Even when she heard his pants unzipping, she trembled but kept reading. She tried turning around and he hissed for her to keep reading, only after she had seen his penis out of his pants. That was what he wanted. For her to see what he was doing, moving his hand up and down on the nasty organ.

He didn't touch her, but he leaned closed, moaned in her ear many times. Pulled her closer to his knees. "I want you to touch me, Karin."

Karin was fourteen. She knew about molestation. She read about things; about growing. And she was disturbed. When he had said the words, the girl made a break for it.

Inuzuka-sensei was a moaning mess, he was sitting down, and his penis was out. He'd never catch her. The girl stopped by the door while he was scrambling to pull up his pants. She pointed with tears in her eyes. Never had she felt so horrible and disgusting. "My father's going to kill you."

And she ran, not caring if tears clouded her vision. She just wanted to be home.

When she did make it home, no one was there. Except for uncle Minato who was seated on the couch rolling up a blunt. She had opened the door harshly, so he noticed her instantly. He saw dirt on his knees (from falling on the way here), her torn uniform (from Inuzuka-sensei trying to grab hold of her), and the tears in her eyes. The blunt was dropped.

"Karin, what happened to you?" He stood.

"Where…." She wiped her eyes, but the tears continued to roll. "Where's my father?"

"He went to the store. Karin, what happened? Were some kids bothering you?"

The girl hugged herself and when she told Minato what happened, action from action, the man looked as if the only thing he saw was red. Cautiously, he crouched down and put his hands on her shoulder. "Karin...did he?" He hesitated. "Did he touch you down there?"

The girl shook her head and the tears came again. "No. Just himself."

"Are you sure, Karin."

"I'm sure." She hated talking about it. It was hard so she never wanted to talk about it again. Not to anyone.

"We're going to hurt him, Karin. When I tell your father about thi-"

"No!" She screamed. "I don't...just...please uncle. I don't want to talk about it anymore. I don't want to remember it. If dad hears about it, I'm going to have to talk about it and-"

Minato shushed her because he couldn't handle her cries. "Okay, Karin. Okay. You don't have to talk about it anymore and I won't either. But we have to hurt this Inuzuka man." And Karin Namikaze, the brash girl who is more like her uncle than her own father, nods. She agrees.

Two months later, She found out that Minato Namikaze retaliated with murder. He had hidden Karin's molestation inside the Yakuza, telling his brother's that Inuzuka-sensei owed money and they would use his son for ransom. When Minato Namikaze said that he would hurt Ko Inuzuka, he wasn't lying.

They killed Kiba, his only son.

* * *

 _Tokyo-Shinagawa Hospital_

 _Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan_

 _January 13, 2005_

 _1:16 AM_

Karin wiped her eyes as she recited the memory. The entire room as silent as the secrets that they all held get more dangerous than the last, threatening to sink the ship. Madoka blinked his tears away and turned away from her, ashamed that he had never seen a change in his daughter's demeanor after the incident. Nagato and Misaji were silent too as they took Karin's hurt and burdened it.

The woman sniffed. "Kiba was never supposed to leave that mountain that afternoon. Ko Inuzuka was never tied in with the Yakuza. I wanted to keep what happened a secret and Uncle Minato listened because he hurt me. It wasn't a ransom, it was a setup."

Naruto grimaced despite feeling all the pain that Karin flooded the room with. Even the crime that started it all had managed to become a secret.

"We were going to lure Kiba's father up that mountain, but he never came. And uncle needed to hurt him in some way. The ransom may have been a fake, but uncle Minato knew from the very beginning Kiba was supposed to die. And he was going to do it. The only setback….Naruto killed him."

"I'm glad I killed him." They all turned to stare at the blond man as he shook his head with a grimace. "Even if it wasn't for what I thought it was for, I'm glad I stole him away from that bitch Ko. And I'm glad I killed Ko too. Right after he killed dad, I'm glad I killed him. And when I see him in hell, I'm going to kill him again."

Everyone was staring at the blond now. He knew why. It was an order. First Maso and Betsy's affair; next Misaji's AIDS and Kaito; after that, Madoka's intersex and the accidental murder of Honoka Uzumaki; then Nagato's moment of weakness when Betsy's life was on the line; all the way to Karin's molestation and the stunt of the great crime that started everything.

It was an order. The man snorted, but he found nothing funny about this night, so it came out bitter. "Is it my turn now?" He sarcastically asked. Then he shrugged. "I can't tell you anything."

"Naruto," Madoka called from the hospital bed. "Please just get it over with. This is a family intervention-"

"Is that what this is?"

"-and we need to talk to each other. What's done in the dark will always find a way to shine."

Naruto laughed softly. "And I've done so much wrong that when people see they might go blind. But that's not it. I can't tell you anything because there _isn't_ anything. I don't keep secrets from my family. All my sins and dirty secrets are out there. And that's why I'm seen as a monster." He grimaced. "Because everything I should have kept hidden went to this family. I NEVER kept secrets from you all. And those secrets aren't the only ones, are they? You've done worse? What else is there?"

He leaned back, waiting for the family to start again.

* * *

 _Namikaze Household_

 _Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan_

 _April 22, 2005_

"Come on, son." Naruto murmured softly to his baby. He was sitting across from the boy. Now that he was four months old, Saku could hold himself up properly. Right now, he just sat there staring at the man.

Naruto sighed softly. "I need you to stand up and walk to me."

A soft laugh interrupted his speech and the man looked up, finding Sasuke standing by the door. "He's only four months, idiot. Babies don't even start to crawl until they're seven months. Besides, that isn't how you teach a baby to walk."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "And you know?"

Sasuke scoffed at his stupidity, but even more so that he was offended. "Of course I do." He sighed. "Look, babies don't do much at four months besides develop consonant sounds, feed less, begin teething, and put any kind of new texture in their mouths. Saku isn't going to listen to you or even come to yo-"

The raven stopped. Both he and Naruto watched with surprise as Sasuke laid on his back on the floor before he started to roll. Actually, roll toward Naruto. He rolled in ten-second intervals, stopping to catch his breath. But he did make it to Naruto, his small butt bumping into his father's foot. Naruto clapped and cheered. He grabbed his son and kissed his cheek. "Nice job. Good baby, Saku. Sūpaman."

Sasuke smiled softly, getting over his initial shock. "Forgot rolling." He mumbled, admiring the way Saku grabbed his father's face.

* * *

 _Hayama-Isshiki beach_

 _Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan_

 _1964_

It was the first time the family had gone out of Tokyo for a vacation. Minato and his brothers were happy and because of that, Betsy and Maso were happy too. Maso had saved up months earnings just to make the trip to Kanagawa and it was worth it. They would be staying for a week and Minato loved it.

Misaji loved playing in the sand. And despite not being able to swim, Madoka loved being here too.

Minato sighed in content, as long as everyone was happy, he wouldn't care either way. He hadn't seen something this beautiful since...ever. The sand was softly golden with just the right comforting warmth. To rest on the beach felt like a cozy hug, one only matched by the sunshine filled the sky. The ten-year-old stretched out both arms and legs to look like a boy-starfish, his grin growing slowly into a broad smile. The only marker of time today was the sun above, the moments savored by the waves that washed the sands in white lace.

"Minato, look!" The boy looked up from his place in the sand and watched Madoka in the water. The boy was doing some sort of dance and Minato sat up a little more.

"Why are you in there? You can't swim."

Madoka laughed softly. "Calm down. The water's not even that deep right here." He danced a little more and Minato shook his head. And then something happened. Madoka looked down and mysteriously slipped backward. He didn't fall in the shallow water, but rather behind him, just a second away from the deep.

Drowning looks nothing like Minato imagined it. The classic splashing around and shouting panic didn't really happen at the drowning stage. It happened very quietly and was hard to spot. People didn't struggle, they just quietly slipped under the water and then they were gone.

Minato stood when he didn't see his brother anymore. He was waiting for the boy to sprout from the liquid laughing at the frightened look on Minato's face, but it was taking a long time. The stage before that is the 'drowning' Minato saw on television, and it was real panic. The victim may have looked like they were trying to climb an invisible ladder, and splashing about.

Minato waited another second before running into the water, ready to save his brother from the nastiness of death. He was unprepared. He didn't know that when he went in to rescue his brother that he would need to rescue himself. Apparently, people in the panic stage were very dangerous and climbed on top of the rescuer to try and stay out of the water, pushing them under. Madoka did enough of that. But Minato wasn't going to let his brother die and he wasn't going to miss the chance of killing him for trying to kill _him._ So he tolerated the water to his lungs and kicked with all his might to shore.

When they got up there, Madoka was breathing hard and heavy. Dad was running over and Minato coughed some water up.

Everyone tended to Madoka since he didn't know how to swim while Betsy stayed with Minato, making sure he too was alright even though he was the rescuer.

She smiled when he smiled. "Ya know.." she trailed. "Every time you save someone's life, one year gets added to your lifespan."

He smiled. "Really?"

She nodded. "You saved your brother. You get a year added to the span of your life."

And for the first time, Betsy Johnson is wrong. But Minato didn't know that at the time, so he just smiled and inhaled.

He took another look at the beach and committed it to memory. He didn't just want the photographs, he wanted to bottle the scent and have seashells to touch. He wanted to recall the feel of the sand between his toes and the clarity of the ocean. He wanted to be able to come here in his dreams.

* * *

 _Maso Namikaze's home_

 _Kabukichō, Tokyo, Japan_

 _1968_

Misaji had been in the bathroom for a very long time now. And it was very inconsiderate since they all knew there was only one bathroom in the house. Minato didn't have to go to the bathroom at the moment, but he did have a problem with it. What if Betsy or Kaito needed to go to the bathroom? It was the principle.

They had one bathroom. It was an unspoken rule to not occupy it for more than twenty minutes. Misaji had reached his limit ten minutes prior.

He had been sick lately though. Headaches, stomach pain, the symptoms of a fever. But the fever had gone on for much too long. And It had become much too serious. The thought concerned Minato as anything that happened to his family did. He saw the way Misaji carried himself around the house when he was there. He saw the pain in his stomach that was more than the raven tried to let show. And it disturbed him.

"We're going to the store, Nato." The fourteen-year-old grimaced at the nickname given to him by his father. "Do you want anything while we're out looking for medicine?"

The boy smiled brightly. "I'm almost out of cigarettes." He knew what his father would say before he even finished the sentence. It was funny to get a rise out of Maso Namikaze when the health and safety of his sons were involved.

"Good." The man muttered, not listening anymore. He went up to the bathroom and knocked and the first thing that came out was a squeal from Misaji. Minato and Maso looked to one another in confusion before Maso turned back to the door.

"Saji, are you alright in there?"

"Yeah, dad. I'm fine." Minato snorted, not believing his brother for a single moment.

"Alright. We're going to the pharmacy to get you some fever medicine. Kaito will be going with us."

"Okay, bye, love you."

Minato rolled his eyes when his father blushed in embarrassment. He swore, the older that old man got, the tougher he grew. But then again, Minato wasn't really maturing. He couldn't resist himself and he smiled. "I love you, dad."

Maso just grunted and walked away, going to the car that the rest of them were waiting inside. He waited another ten minutes for Misaji to come out of the bathroom and when the boy emerged, Minato finally rested easy and lifted his cigarette.

He didn't know much about sickness or medicine, but he had never heard of a fever that made people look dead. If this fever was trying to kill Saji, they'd have to go through Minato. Minato would do everything in his power to fight this with Saji, even if the other boy didn't think it was serious. His brother jumped when he was finally noticed and the first thing he said was "You know dad hates cigarette smells."

Minato smiled. He knew he'd say that. "And dad also hates that you're too much losing weight much too fast." Minato Namikaze was never a patient person. He never idled around a subject contemplating if she should step on its toes. He got straight to the point. Misaji was sick and he was worried. No use in talking about what could kill him.

He watched him sneer softly. He contemplated a comeback for a moment, Minato noticed. As he noticed everything about his brothers. Saji said nothing at all as his stomach grumbled. He only began walking to the fridge.

"Are you sure it's just a little fever, Saji?" He questioned. It was supposed to come out with concern, but it came out as a speculation, as an interrogation. However, when Misaji's face softened, he knew his blue eyes showed it. "It could be the flu which should be taken seriously."

"Leave me alone," Misaji whispered back. He was on his way to leaving, but then he wasn't. He stopped by the table and grabbed hold of his head. Minato lifted out of his seat but didn't stand fully.

"Saji, are you okay?"

His brother growled. He began marching. "Look, I don't bother you about what you do in the Yakuza gang of yours, so stay out of my...ouch!"

When people fainted, Minato came to realize, it wasn't like television; they didn't fall trying to grab onto anything around them and they didn't imagine falling in a black bottomless pit. When people fainted, all of their limbs gave out. And they fell the same way people died. Fast and sudden, without knowing what was going on. At least, that was what Saji did.

"Saji!" He screamed.

Later in the hospital, Minato sat by Madoka. The youngest boy was asleep, leaning on Minato's arm and hugging him while he softly snored. Minato couldn't sleep. He needed to know if Misaji was okay. He didn't care what had happened on the way here. He didn't care that he had smashed the window of their neighbor's car and almost crashed twice to get here. He didn't care if it were almost two in the morning. He just cared to know if Saji was okay.

The door opened and although he was anxious, Minato didn't stand. If he did, he would wake Madoka up and his brother looked so adorable asleep. He did, however, crane his neck to see who had come out. It was Betsy, and she was crying and wiping her tears away. Trying to look strong.

And it's at this moment that Minato Namikaze realizes, he can't help everyone at once. He's not a superhero. He can't support Madoka, see Misaji, and comfort Betsy at once. And that's the saddest thing about life.

Betsy smiled softly at. "He's okay." She whispered. She rubbed his hair and he smiled softly. "Just took a good fall is all. Boy's strong." And then she smiled at him like he _was_ a superhero. "That's another year."

"Huh?"

"Another year in your lifespan. Each time you save someone's life, you get another year to yours. So that's two now."

* * *

 _Kabukichō, Tokyo, Japan_

 _1970_

Kaito died. It's hard to think about. Minato knew he was never home to make an impact on the boy, but he watched him enough or the boy to make an impact on him.

The Namikaze household is quiet now as everyone took in not only the death but Madoka's newfound sexuality. Betsy was at home trying to mend everything. Trying to tell get Misaji to speak or even show emotion, and trying to persuade Madoka that he was worth living. Dad had locked himself in his room. And Minato, he couldn't take the Namikaze household.

So he had taken his father's car for a drive. Here, in the car, he could think about the neighborhood rather than the pain. Kabukicho wasn't a bad place to live. It wasn't the neighborhood that was bad. It was the people in it. The gangs. The poverty. Things like that made people go crazy and sometimes Minato wondered if his neighborhood would ever change.

The teen's brows furrowed as he rode past the brothel Misaji had frequented two years ago. That woman Fusō must have snuck him in because who in the hell would let a fourteen-year-old in? Minato shook his head. "Those Uzumaki girls are nothing but bad luck."

The blond continued looking at the street as he moved down it before he stopped suddenly. Sighing, Minato backed up his car a little. He was sure he'd just seen something in the alleyway and he wasn't going to let it past. It looked sketchy. Poking his head out the window, he watched the dark lot with intensity, his eyes never wavering.

And then he did see something. It was a struggle back, one between a woman and a man. She was struggling more than the man and Minato could hear the faint yells of "get off of me." She let out.

The blond sighed. He had no choice. Getting out of his car, the blond pulled out the pistol he had gotten from one of the older members of his gang and raised it in the air. He had never shot a gun before so he hoped it worked. When he did shoot twice in the air, Minato winced softly at the sound but smirked when the struggle stopped. The man let go of the girl and ran the other way, down the alley and out the other side.

Minato carefully walked up to the fallen girl and crouched. "Are you okay?" He muttered.

The girl looked up and Minato resisted the urge to fall back. Christ, was she pretty. She had brown eyes the color of honey and red hair the color of flowers. She grabbed her belongings. "I am now. I was just on my way to the brothel when that man attacked me."

 _Brothel?_ Minato saw now. This was an Uzumaki girl, the ones that basically ran the brothel that Misaji frequented once. He resisted the urge to stand and walk away, because pretty or not, this girl was bad luck. However, he can't leave. "Why are you walking through an alley."

The girl rolled her eyes. "I didn't know it would be dangerous, stupid. It's my first day."

He laughed softly. "What's your name?"

And she smiled proudly. "I'm Kushina."

Betsy wasn't here, but Minato knew that now it was three years. Three good years added on to the span of his life.

Years later, when Karin was molested, It was up to Minato to make his niece feel better. And not just with the murder of Kiba and the search of Ko. He had to treat his niece well and always tell her she was worth something amazing. And when Karin starts to hug them all again, Minato calls it four. Betsy would be so proud.

* * *

 _Sixth District Courthouse_

 _California, America_

 _2001_

Ko Inuzuka is just as smart as Nagato. Ko Inuzuka is just as cunning as his son. Just as vengeful as Misaji and just as daring as Karin.

He waited seven whole years to get back at the Namikaze family. Well, just Minato, the man who had demanded money from him and 'killed' his son. Minato was smart. He knew Inuzuka would try taking down his entire family, so he confessed. He confessed to kidnapping and brutally murdering the eleven-year-old boy seven years ago.

No matter how smart Ko thought he was, Minato always stood five steps ahead of everyone. He knew that if he confessed, they would extradite him. He also knew that he would serve a smaller sentence if he confessed to what both he and Ko did. He also knew that the only way Naruto, who was upcoming in the world, would become his own person, was if Minato Namikaze was erased from his life. It was sad, but it was true.

Japan didn't want him, and because Minato's mother was an American citizen at the time of his birth, they had extradited for trial in the states.

 **State of California (plaintiff) v.s Minato Namikaze (Defendant)**

 **Case: Defendant's sentencing brief.**

 **Mr. Namikaze, by his attorney, respectfully moves the court, the Honorable Judge, presiding, to consider the following facts, law, and arguments before imposing a sentence in this matter.**

 **Legal Standards in Sentencing**

 **Sentencing is a discretionary function of the trial court which contemplates a process of reasoning based upon the facts presented to the Court. The primary standards that the Court must consider when a sentence is imposed are: (1) the gravity of the offense, (2) the character and rehabilitation needs of the offender, and (3) the need for protection of the public.**

They went through the plea agreement, the incident, Minato's background information, his vague criminal record, letters from his brothers, records of his life, and sentencing standards. It took about four hours in the courtroom for the judge to actually get to his sentencing. But Minato, always the calm man when he needed to be, sat quietly and still.

The judge looked up. "Mr. Namikaze is a young person who has not previously been convicted of a crime. His character is such that he appears to be a good candidate for probation. The Defense respectfully requests that the Court consider following the joint recommendation of the State and the defense."

Minato resisted the urge to snort. 47 year old was not young at all.

"The court has very carefully considered and weighed the aggravating and mitigating  
circumstances found to exist in this case, being ever mindful that human freedom is at stake in the balance. The court finds, as did the jury, that the aggravating circumstances present in this case outweigh the mitigating circumstances present.

Accordingly, it is ordered and adjudged that the defendant, Minato Namikaze, is hereby sentenced to four years in prison for the kidnap and murder of the victim, Kiba Inuzuka. The defendant is hereby committed to the custody of the Department of Corrections of the State of California for execution of this sentence as provided by law."

Minato sat quietly. He thought he would get life. But he had heard America's justice system was pretty fucked up. Maybe because despite his name, he looked like a white American male. Was this why he got a smaller sentence?

The man couldn't fathom and he wasn't going to wrack his brain trying to get into the minds of the founders of America. He was going to accept his sentence. Betsy wished him four years well. Four years on his lifespan for saving the lives of others. But Minato wants Naruto to be better, but Naruto can't with his father looming over him.

So he tells them to let Naruto know that he was killed by Ko Inuzuka, the father of the boy that Naruto killed. And he hopes that trading the four years he was supposed to add for prison is worth it.

* * *

 _Tokyo-Shinagawa Hospital_

 _Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan_

 _January 13, 2005_

 _1:30 AM_

Naruto stood. "You're lying." He hissed. The man couldn't believe them and he laughed harshly. "He's _dead._ I know he's dead."

Misaji sighed. "He isn't, Naruto."

"Don't lie to me!" Naruto yelled. He paced the room, his expensive dress shoes tapping against the tiles bitterly. "I killed the man that killed him!"

Madoka sat up. "You killed the man who turned him in!" And then he sighed because Madoka is calm enough to know that yelling will only drive them apart. " I'm not lying, Naruto. I went to his sentencing."

"So you're saying he faked his death all because of me! What kind of movie bullshit is this?" No one said a thing. But Naruto noticed that Nagato didn't look surprised. "So you all knew?" Karin began to bite her fingernails, avoiding his eyes. "Even you, Karin?" He asked incredulously. She said nothing. "Wow." He whispered.

The man inhaled sharply and took a step toward the door. But then he stopped. "So if he got four years in prison when I was seventeen, then he'd be getting out this year." They're quiet, but no one denies this claim.

Naruto's eyes brim with tears, but he's strong than them. "These fucking secrets. I never kept secrets from any of you. I was brave enough to admit that I was a monster. And that's why none of you are as great as me." He pointed to himself. "That's why I'm Omo."

He opened the door, and stormed out, ignoring the cries of his uncle for him to come back.

* * *

 _Pelican Bay State Prison_

 _Crescent City, California, America_

 _March 2005_

The prison cell was barely six feet by four. The walls were the same thick grey stone as the dwellings of the region, but instead of a wide window with a flower box, there was a mean barred opening with thick metal bars and no glass. In the summer, the fresher air was a relief, helping to alleviate the stench of festering sewage. But in the cold seasons, it let in a wicked draft and reduced the temperature to near freezing. It was no brighter inside than the gathering gloom of dusk, even at midday. The bed was a plank of wood on legs, there was no mattress, no cushioning and only one thin blanket. It was either suffocatingly quiet or pierced with the screams of tortured inmates.

Minato was going to miss this shit.

"Heard you're getting out." He turned to his now former cellmate, an old man that had been residing in Pelican Bay for years before Minato was even born. The man had done horrible crimes although he had never mentioned them, he was afraid of death. He had told Minato that he enjoyed living in the cell once. And he would hate the moment when it came to be injected, to leave life forever.

When he told this, Minato had just been admitted into the prison, but the story of one day dying made him sad. Not because he was sad for the man or even sad about death, he just missed his brothers. They had been through so much, unlike Minato. They had gone through absolute hell at just 14 and 16. From Saji losing his first child to Madoka being kicked out and pregnant. No one in Minato's eyes were as strong as those guys. No one in his life had been through what they had. Their lives made it hard for Minato to understand his cellmate's fears. It's harder to live than to die. Misaji and Madoka know more about life than anyone ever would. So a man who thinks death is the scariest feat doesn't know a thing about life.

Minato sighed. "Yeah. It's been a while. Can finally see my son again."

"Doesn't he think you're dead?"

Minato moved out of the cell as he was handed a bag by one of the prison guards. He smiled softly. "That's the surprise." He smiled.

* * *

 _Namikaze Household_

 _Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan_

 _April 24, 2005_

Naruto smiled softly as he did steady pushups. He was a strong man, he could do them as fast a most could. He wasn't steady because he wanted to be. He went steadily because he needed to. Because of the giggling mess that was Saku Namikaze on his back.

Saku obviously liked sitting on his father's back while the man moved toward and away from the floor, making Saku go high. He kicked lightly and tugged on the blond hair. "Ahh." And then he's laughing again.

Naruto smiled, liking the sound. "I can go even higher." Saku, sensing this grabbed hold of his father's hair, very harshly as Naruto winced. The man went up as high as he could and Saku collapsed on his back hugging as far as his short arms would around the man's torso. Naruto didn't care if the boy was slobbering all over his back. If he was happy, his father was happy.

"You're a great father." The man went lower and looked to the door, blushing when he noticed Sasuke right there.

"Thank you." He whispered.

Sasuke broke out of his daze and pat himself down. "Lunch is ready and I made Saku's favorite, so come on."

Naruto skillfully lifted Saku by the back of his shirt and brought him around, putting the baby against his torso. He walked toward Sasuke, beginning to follow him to their dining area.

"What could you possibly have made that Saku can eat? And what about my favorite?"

Sasuke smirked. "Saku likes sweet potatoes and mashed apples. You don't matter." But he giggled at the end.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Oh really?" They walked into the living room. "Since I don-" The man topped by the door and sneered softly. He hadn't seen them in three months. Nagato was standing by the door away from everyone. Karin and Madoka were sitting on one of the smaller couches while Misaji was away from everyone too.

Koshaku and Joo were sleeping by the mats and Neji was sitting on the couch, reading.

Naruto sighed in exasperation. He looked to his husband, who was sheepishly smiling and giving no indication to deny that he had brought them here. "Sasuke." He scolded. "Why did you bring my family here?"

Sasuke smiled. "Because. You all are obviously holding feelings in that need to be talked about. And I'm sick of you moping. I know you missed them, and you're annoying me."

"Bu-"

Sasuke raised a justified first before him. "Enough. The Namikaze family is stronger than this. If you can't get through this than the cartel should be over. So you're going to it here and talk about your feelings. That goes for everyone. Even you, Karin."

Karin looked up incredulously. "I promised to cooperate."

"Hn."

Nagato spoke up then. "Okay. So this is a family intervention. Why the hell is he here?" He pointed to Neji who had no idea he was being talked about, or he did and he just didn't care.

Sasuke smiled sheepishly. "He's graduating. And I invited him here from Nagasaki."

Naruto hugged Saku close. "Neji doesn't need to know my business." And finally, Neji looked up in surprise as if he hadn't known several other people were in the room.

Nagato grunted and glared softly at Neji. "Agreed."

Karin glared too, prodding at the uncomfortable Hyuga. "Who is this pretty motherfucker anyway?"

Sasuke gaped. "And your hostility toward my best friend shows why you three belong together." He sounded so offended that Naruto couldn't help but smile. And when he looked up, Karin and Nagato were smiling too. He shook his head and admired his husband.

 _Sasuke,_ he thought. God, he loved him.

There was movement in the kitchen and someone stepped out. Saku whined when he noticed his sweet potatoes in the person's hand. The baby moved off Naruto's chest and grabbed for the food.

Naruto's eyes narrowed in fear when the man began walking up to them.

Minato Namikaze smiled brightly at Saku. "I'm sorry. Are these yours, little one?" Saku whined again and Minato handed the sweet potato to the boy. He looked just like Naruto. The blond hair. The blue eyes. He was as tall and a little more buff. And there were scabs all over his body as if he had been burned in places.

Nagato stood off the wall. "How did you get him here, Sasuke?" Everyone stared in surprise as Minato poked Saku's cheek.

When Sasuke looked at Naruto, the man wasn't staring in surprise. Just slight fear. No surprise at all. Minato must have noticed too. He looked at his son. "No surprise here." he looked to his brothers. "So much for keeping the secret. This family always has been bad at keeping secrets." And then he laughed boisterously and heartily, Betsy's soul inside him despite the tension in the room between everyone else.

Naruto sighed. He had no idea.

"Naruto." He tensed when his father called his name. Then blue eyes met blue as Minato smiled. "You don't have to be scared. You're Omo. You're a man. You have a husband, a son, and you run Japan. You did exactly what I always hoped and I'm proud of you. Sasuke told me everything."

Naruto sighed in relief. He looked down. "Thank you," he whispered.

Saku laid his head on his chest again, remnants of his food on his lips. The boy was already tired.

Minato laughed boisterously again. "So how about this intervention?" He sat on the couch by Madoka and shook the smiling man's shoulder. And then he looked around as everyone settle. His eyes landed on Neji and the grey-eyed man smiled.

"Hello," Neji spoke.

Minato smiled back. "Who the hell are you?"

Naruto laughed when he let out a breath. Minato hadn't changed a bit.

* * *

 **Glitter is the title for this chapter. Glitter is one of the many terrifying substances people mix in cocaine, but it can also be used to describe the drug. Apparently, good cocaine, the rock form, should be shiny and the shine on it can be called fish scales or glitter. Cocaine can not only be addicting, but life-threatening as well. So all that glitters truly is not gold. And that goes for the Namikaze clan as well. I changed a few things in the first chapter. With Naruto making the equivalent of $29 million each month, the Namikaze is a prosperous family.**

 **Every month, there is a shipment of almost 20,000 kilograms of cocaine coming to me. 20 metric tons a month.**

 **One kilogram is worth ¥165 thousand and the cartel sells 20 metric tons a day.**

 **So the cartel averages ¥3.3 billion each day.**

 **Each month, they make the equivalent of America's $29,778,705.**

 **Their net worth is $348 million (¥38.5 billion).**

 **They may be a luxurious family thanks to Naruto, but they all have secrets and they're driving them apart. So really, all that glitters isn't gold.**

 **Maso and Betsy were lovers; Misaji has AIDS; Madoka is actually an Intersex; Nagato could have saved Betsy's life; Karin was molested and Kiba's death was never about a ransom; and big news MINATO NAMIKAZE IS ALIVE! The mysterious man you've all been wondering about has been serving four years in prison and why? Because as it turns out Minato Namikaze is a human sacrifice.**

 **The reason Saku Namikaze is shown after every secret is because he's the last Namikaze so far. And it's Saku that will carry this family's name and secrets. Saku is the heir to Naruto's throne if there are no more kids to choose from.**

 **Don't forget to review friends. What secret hit you the hardest?**


	16. Candyman

**Candyman**

 **Thanks for all the reviews. They mean a lot to me. I'm really glad you guys are enjoying the story and its characters. One thing that I have to make really clear in this story: Naruto is not a hero. Naruto is not supposed to be the good guy in the fic. In fact, Naruto is a monster, which can be proven by his nonchalant attitude when taking another person's life.**

 **Eg: After Ino was wrapped in his basement for two days, Naruto recalled how she used to say he stunk really bad. He goes on to mock her death and tells her she stinks now. And maniacally, he says "In fact, it smells like you died days ago." Which she did.**

 **Yes, Naruto does take care of poor people, his country, as well as his family. He does have a soft spot for his family, but what I'm trying to get across is that Naruto is horrible. He's a murderer, a thief, a drug dealer. He takes the lives of people without a care in the world and he goes on laughing. That's how his mind is. I'm not saying you should hate him in this fic because I myself enjoy the way I write him. How you guys take him is entirely up to you.**

 **Franbunny: I enjoy the relationship between Betsy and Maso too. I've always had it in my mind that it would be revealed that they were going to be lovers, but I was going to reveal earlier. It was going to be revealed chapter: Happy trails when Shikamaru was searching their old basement for photos of Naruto for the campaign. I was going to have him pull out a picture of Betsy and Maso, but I'm glad I didn't. The last chapter seemed the best time to do it. And It was, with all the secrets coming out, why not start with the holders of the family? Thanks again for your review.**

 **HeartSNS: thanks for the review. When you ask will there be more babies… I have this entire story draft planned out and I'm making changes as we move forward. What I can say is you have no idea :D. As for the citrus between my two loves, I'm totally getting to that too. I miss writing it. XD. And Minato's faked death was awesome to write. But he still has so much to answer.**

 **Yaoifangirl102: Everyone was so curious about the man Minato was...er...** _ **is.**_ **When he was first introduced, we saw him as the evident leader of Maso's triplets and the leader of the Namikaze household. In his next flashback, he challenged Naruto to a fight because Naruto didn't fight back against his bullies, showing his definite 'God of War' side. In his next flashback, he was pushing Naruto to become better by teaching him to fight. He threatened to start training Karin, and when Naruto fought against the idea and vowed to rule Japan, Minato held the promise to him with a smile, showing the love he had for Naruto underneath. Minato is an almost strange character, but once we get about three more chapters in, I can explain what kind of character he is. I've decided to finally reel him in and show you all what he's got.**

 **Kitsune Knight of Darkness: Thanks for the compliment. I'm trying to give you guys everything that I have for you to enjoy the story.**

 **The Unapologetic: Is it better than TV? Than power? XD thanks so much. Naruto and Sasuke's relationship is as simple as it is complex. I love writing how they interact with one another and how their personalities can complete one another. While Naruto is seen as this brash, murderous drug lord, Sasuke brings out a sweet side in the man. And while Sasuke is this loving, this-world-should-know-peace man, Naruto can see the sinister in Sasuke.**

 **Hotpotata180: Thanks for reviewing. By the end of this story, I want to have snatched everyone's edges XD, so don't worry. And I appreciate your liking to my formatting of this chapter with the flashback, then hospital, then Saku. As I've said before, Minato Namikaze is one hell of a character. He's been nicknamed Hachiman, which is the Japanese god of war. That says something already, but it's also been stated twice that he carries Betsy's soul inside him. He's different than most like his son was different than most and that makes Minato one hell of a character. About Misaji's illness. Usually, it takes up to 10 entire years for HIV to develop into AIDS. However, it varies greatly with infections. In the flashback of 1968, Misaji is going through bad changes 9 months after getting Fuso pregnant. He acquired a bad fever from Kaito and based on how severe it was, I'll say that the HIV developed very quickly, eating away at his immune system as he ignored the signs. And thus, Misaji's AIDS developed over the course of one year. His infection may be severe, but he's pretty damn strong. And yet, it's almost like Reo. Saji could die any day now. About Linda Patterson, our number one runaway. She will be brought up because ultimately, she did hurt her sons.**

 **Yamiheart: I'm glad you liked the chapter. I also believe that Minato being alive and Kiba dying so young are very hard to comprehend. But, I will say that the hardest secret for me to write was Misaji's confusion at such a young age. He didn't understand what was happening to his body and he didn't want to burden anyone by telling them he was going through changes. So finding out at such a young age that you have an illness that'll end up killing you was the hardest thing to write for me.**

 **Mata/Nivell: XD I also think Neji needs a boyfriend. I did say I was going to focus on the lives of even side characters, so in the future, once he's around the family more, he'll definitely be developed. Were you implying that Minato should date Neji? :) From what we know, Neji and Naruto can hardly tolerate looking at one another. And Minato looks just like his son. Also, Minato is just going to be straight here. Oh, he's 51 too, just like his brothers. Kiba is a setting stone for this fic, with an inevitable fate. It's entirely okay to feel bad for Kiba because he was just a young boy when he was killed. Kiba is also the first death in Omo, setting the mood of angst, the era of crime, and the beginning of Naruto's transformation. It's okay to feel bad Ino, even when she did bad things too. Any human suffering will make us feel bad. And that's super normal.**

 **Thank you all so much for reviewing. Thanks to all the followers. Those who favored the story, thanks so much. It means everything.**

* * *

 _Secluded home_

 _Ganaly, Kamchatka Krai, Russia_

 _April 24, 2005_

 _Early morning_

Shino Aburame grunted as he put down his binoculars. Picking up his handheld intercom, the man spoke quietly. "All units. This is Unit J commander. We've reached the Blackhouse from the south entrance. Waiting on your position update. Over."

The man laid it down and waited patiently for the response from the other two squads deployed on the mission with him. The first to speak was the head of FSB, the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation. He was the leader of the mission since this was his territory.

"Группа R достигла …" Shino couldn't understand a word the man was saying.

He turned around and stared into the night vision goggles of his subordinate. "Sakura. Translate this for me."

The woman lifted her goggles, her green eyes shining even in the dark early morning. "He's telling you that his unit's just reached the west e-"

"Hey." Someone speaking clear English hissed into the intercom, cutting off Sakura and the Russian leader. Shino recognized the voice of the US Army Ranger. "Our common language is English. So for the sake of this mission, please speak it."

The Army Rangers weren't there for much really. Shino knew that they were there with the American DEA because, without them, they wouldn't have jurisdiction. But Shino felt that the Americans weren't really needed here. This was Russian territory, but the man running the drugs inside that home was Rock Lee, a Japanese man Shino Aburame had been watching for years, hence the man's presence. The Americans weren't needed, and Shino really wished they weren't there either.

What if something went wrong with this mission and one of the Americans died? Shino had the slightest idea who this drug house belonged to. If one of the Americans died, then the country would be all over the man who ran the drug house. And God have mercy on them because the wrong side of the law or not, Naruto Namikaze didn't fuck around when it came to his business.

"Exkuse me. My Unit had reached vest entrance to house. Your position, Amerikan man?" his accent was thick and the way he pronounced R was a whole new translation in itself. Shino could sense some tension between the two. In fact, the tension between all three of the nationalities was tense upon meeting.

They all had different goals. Shino knew Naruto Namikaze on a personal level, so he was smart enough to know….taking control of this house would mean nothing. He only wanted one man for questioning, not the drugs themselves.

Victor, the FSB leader, wanted the entire house torn down and out of his country. He cared about his people. He didn't want any drugs in his country because they would only hurt them.

Army Ranger Newman was there on orders of the American DEA and the American FBI. The Americans needed to know how these Colombian drugs got to Russia. And how drugs were getting to North America. Their main goal was the drugs and that was the worst goal of them all. Shino wondered why Victor needed to call the Americans in the first place.

"We've reached the East entrance. Waiting for your call."

Shino put the intercom on his waistband. He turned to his unit of five men and spoke in Japanese so they could understand clearly. "Anata no buki o rōdo suru. Remember, our mission is to retrieve Rock Lee safe and sound and get out."

Sakura lifted her goggles again. "Sir, why are we working for the cartel? We should be on the right side of justice. We should be getting him for questioning instead of protecting him."

Shino sighed. "Listen. Naruto Namikaze may be a cartel leader, but he doesn't do anything wrong to our country. He's for the people and you know that as much as anyone else. He's saved our asses plenty of times. And his husband helped us take down a mass organization. The least I can do is pay him back." Shino inhaled. "Rock Lee is important to the business. Not only as a money launderer, but a soapmaker as well. These Russians are almost brash and will kill anyone on sight. These Americans will try to detain him for torture. We're rescuing him. Bolade wants that."

"Sir, what if we can't rescue him? What'll happen then?"

Shino grunted. "It wouldn't come to that. Shoot any Russian falcon inside there, but do not raise your weapon at Rock Lee of the cartel. If any American Soldier or Russian police raise a weapon at Rock Lee, kill them on sight."

It grew quiet around their small circle and Sakura moved back a bit in shock. "But, won't that mean war with the Russians and the Americans?"

"You seem to be forgetting, Sakura. The entire Japanese police force works under Naruto. When a war brews, we won't need to worry about them. They'll have to worry about him."

Sakura said nothing more as the realization sunk in. Even as a woman that worked and fought for justice, she still worked for Naruto. And because of that, her life, safety, and values would always be on the line.

Victor spoke quietly. "All units be advised zat man zat rrruns zis home is not actually Rock Lee. But is rumored to be Naruto Namikaze, a Japanese business entrepreneur. Vith zat in mind, be advised zat zis home and whoever's in it vill protect what zey have. Move in."

Shino stood fully and signaled for his team to do the same. Carefully, they made their way to the home. Shino's heart pumped rapidly and his adrenaline was thick. But he had a mission and would protect Rock Lee as thanks to Naruto for bringing him Ino Yamanaka's head.

"This is it," he whispered, gun raised to the door. "Remember the mission and be careful. Your lives matter more than anything."

The man turned back and inhaled. Raising his foot, he kicked the door down, watching it slam to the floor letting out screams of croaks and cries of dust. There was a man sitting at the dining room table, counting money. When the door was locked down, he never got over his initial shock of being raided. And so he never lifted a gun.

Shino aimed at the Russian man. "On the floor!" He yelled. The man raised his hands cautiously, his eyes wide and frantic. "Get on the floor!" Shino yelled.

"Shino-sama, he doesn't speak Japanese." One of his men muttered.

"Shit." Shino hissed. He pointed to the man. "Detain him."

Sakura moved forward to handcuff the man and all around the house, Shino could hear gunshots. He prayed to Kami that whoever the other units were shooting at, he prayed that they had been shot at first. Shino would never kill a man that had no weapon.

"Let's move further in!"

Victor yelled at the South Entrance. "opustite oruzhiye! He has no gun! Detain him!"

Shino nodded and raised his gun. Moving further into the house, the unit shot anyone that raised a gun at them. Those men were going to protect this house with everything that they had and Shino knew, before coming in, that people were going to die. As long as their names weren't the names of any of the men and women from all three units or Rock Lee, Shino was fine with that.

The house was almost clear and they had managed not to get themselves into any crossfire. Shino commanded the rest of his unit to go tell the others while he and Sakura continued North.

The man moved into the last room. "Shino!" Sakura screamed. The Aburame fell to the floor with ease, dodging the shells of the double barrel shotgun with quickness. Sakura shot the man twice watching him fall to the floor. "Are you alright?"

Shino smiled. "Yeah. He got the wall," he whispered, staring up at the gaping holes in the wall. The man stood. He scanned the room and his eyes stopped at the man sitting at the table in the corner. He was Japanese, no doubt Rock Lee of the cartel.

He made no move to hurt them as there was no gun in his hand, only a machete before him on the table full of powdered cocaine and money. The man laughed softly, no worry in his eyes. And Shino wondered if that was the power of Naruto; to have any man work under him and have enough control for them not to have fear.

"It's just my bad luck, bringing a knife to a gunfight." He put his feet up on the table and laughed again at his own misfortunes. "Go ahead and do what you need to do."

But there was an unspoken sentence when he smiled at them in a sly way. _Don't mess with the Namikaze cartel._

Shino lowered his gun. "We aren't here to hurt you." The man looked out the door he came into. "When Bolade told me there would be a raid on this house and he said you were here for the month, I came to get you."

Rock Lee hummed. "So you aren't here to arrest me?"

"We are. But that's only for your protection against the FSB and US Army." Shino looked back out, watching Ranger Newman coming down the hall. "It'll be explained once we get out of here. Cooperate for now."

Newman came in and when he saw Rock Lee, the gun around his hands tightened.

Shino raised a hand. "He's alright."

Rock Lee was onced over by the American man. From his hair to his eyes to his small smile. "This the guy?"

Shino only nodded. "We'll detain him and head out."

The silence that followed after was awkward between them as Newman stared at Lee and Shino stared at him. Sakura exhaled heavily, the shock of her partner almost dying still in her. Turning, the woman stared at the holes in the wall, her green eyes wide.

There was something in the wall. At least, from what she could see. "What the hell…" She murmured. Shino turned back, following her determined eyes. There was plastic in the wall, he could see. His eyes narrowed. _Shit._ He prayed that Sakura would look away so they could get Rock Lee and leave. And not have to be in this house anymore. But if Newman turned and saw what the hell Shino thought he saw, they'd be here longer. _Please, Sakura._

The woman moved closer. "What the hell is that?"

* * *

 _Secluded home_

 _Ganaly, Kamchatka Krai, Russia_

 _April 24, 2005_

 _Early morning_

It took them an hour to remove the drywall in the house. And what Shino feared he saw had come true. In this house was not the doing of anyone there, not even the simple Rock Lee. He was a part of it, yes, but the man behind it was Naruto Namikaze.

Shino had gone outside already as did Sakura while the others stayed, requesting backup. The stench had been too much and the only thing he could do was go outside and vomit.

 _20 bodies._

Twenty bodies of men and women Naruto had put in the wall, all of them sitting on their feet. They were Russian falcons, Rock Lee had admitted to only Shino. Falcons that didn't do their parts and Naruto had eliminated. And the walls, inside the walls, was the only place Naruto wanted them.

They were all naked and shot in the head. And they had covered their heads in plastic, the material smeared in blood. It disturbed Shino really.

The kind of maniac that Naruto Namikaze really was. The man he'd become as they grew up. Shino couldn't stomach it. He couldn't imagine putting bodies into a wall. He couldn't imagine killing anyone if they didn't harm him first.

With one violent contraction, the congealed contents of his stomach emerged in the morning light, nothing digested since the evening before. Shino wiped at his mouth, acidic residue forming a shiny patch on his sleeve.

Sakura was next to him, wiping her own mouth and bent over just in case the onslaught of nausea came again. "I can still smell them," she let out with difficulty.

Shino turned his head to the side, watching four of Newman's men in the shed, one of Victor's men with them.

They all stood in the shed, picking at a lock on the floor that must have led to an underground storage room. The door was dirty, Shino had noticed and something was off. So off then that is scared him. With a soft snort, one the of Americans turned to him and smirked. "Tell the boss we found something alright?"

Shino only turned away. He had gotten enough of Newman today. "Sakura, roundup our man as well as Lee-san and let's leave. I don't want Naruto to think we confiscated any cocaine."

Sakura nodded. "Right, sir."

"Holy Shit-"

Behind them the old shed exploded, old nails became shrapnel and glass cut through the air as good as any blade. Wood of all sizes rained down on them and the faux-brick cladding shattered, casting red dust and projectiles into the dawn air. Shino's ears rang and when the smoke cleared, he saw Sakura was the first to stand, her hands holding her head tightly. "Oh Kami." She muttered. "Shino." She called. He blinked, but when he tried speaking, he couldn't speak.

Every ranger lay on the ground, some in a fetal position trying to protect their ears and organs, others splayed like rag dolls on the morning dew.

Shino stood. His leg wobbled and he nearly fell over again, but the man balanced himself. "Sakura," he breathed out, his chest hurting in the smoke. The woman turned around. "Sakura," he mumbled again. He wanted to make sure she was alright as well his other men, but if something happened to Rock Lee...the man grabbed his head. He couldn't think like that. But with the yelling coming from the house he wasn't sure anymore. "Sakura, get inside. Get Lee. We need to leave."

Sakura's eyes narrowed in confusion and Shino cursed. He didn't have time. No one had time anymore. He needed to get Rock Lee out of that house with Newman and Victor.

"You set us up!" He could hear Newman yell. And Lee was yelling back from what he could hear. They were arguing, their words only muffled and interrupted by one another. Lee was defending himself, Although he couldn't understand thing Newman was yelling his way.

Shino raised a hand. "Stop!" He screamed. "Let us take him. We'll take him back to Japan."

Time only moved quickly when it was being secretive. It only moved fast when it didn't want people to see things. But Shino saw. Shino would go on and swear by his life that he saw everything Time had tried hiding. Amidst the yelling and the false betrayal, Shino saw the Newman raise his assault rifle up to Lee's mouth. He saw the bullets, three at a time and with a rapid-fire rate, spray into Lee's face. Time moved quickly because it was trying to hide the murder of Rock Lee.

It was weird how death took away everything from life. For a moment Lee was sitting beside at the table - yelling, shouting in a language that Newman couldn't understand. Shouting in a language that couldn't be understood, but also with a face that could only be read as desperation. All there was left the next moment was a pale face covered with blood, his eyes wide open with fear.

In the blasting winter of Russia, Rock Lee of the Namikaze cartel went down as only the big and the strong could go down - like a tsunami on land.

Shino stared at his lifeless body wide-eyed before he raised his pistol toward Newman. He knew in his mind that something would go wrong today. Try as he did, he couldn't shake the thoughts. And all he could think about was Naruto Namikaze's wrath when he found out that Rock Lee was fucking killed in the blond's drug house in Russia.

He stared at the shocked Newman, hatred in his eyes that wouldn't go away. "You," He hissed with enough venom to poison the man. "You have no idea what kind of war you just started."

* * *

 _Namikaze Household_

 _Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan_

 _April 24, 2005_

There are traits that Sasuke Uchiha sees about Minato Namikaze that he's happy Naruto inherited.

Minato smiled softly as he kicked his feet up. The man sat on the couch with determination as he taught a very uncomfortable Neji, the closest man to him, how to roll crushed marijuana into a tobacco leaf. It was a science to him and the man had instructions for everything: how to crush the broccoli, how to stuff the blunt, how to lick the blunt….

"Don't go licking it like someone's dick." He ignored Naruto's 'dad, please,' and laughed softly. "If you do that, everyone's going to be smoking your spit."

Neji coughed slightly and Sasuke almost felt bad for his friend. But Minato had an audience and Naruto once told him that when he had it, he would never let it go. He proceeded to tell Neji how to hold a blunt and how to kiss it just enough. Not sloppily and wet the end, but carefully like a small peck on the mouth. The man smiled at his finished masterpiece. "You see? Pearled perfectly." Neji blushed. "Say it, kid."

His gray eyes narrowed in confusion. " _Pearled_?"

Minato laughed heartily and Sasuke smiled. Inside him was the soul of his surrogate mother. The same soul that could release any tension in the room. The same soul that accepted everyone with a soft smile and harsh words. "If you smoke a stick the way you say that, you'll be fine."

Karin came to sit by them, a big smile on her face as she closed in on the Hyuga. Neji became even more uncomfortable. Surrounded by two people that obviously belonged to Naruto Namikaze, he couldn't handle it.

Just as Minato went to light the leaf, he stopped. He looked toward Naruto and his eyes went down to the sleepy baby that was on his chest. The child looked drained as if the food he'd just eaten really wore him out. "I'll wait until I get outside to smoke it."

Naruto blinked and looked as if he had just taken in the words. "It's fine. He's sleepy anyway. I'm going to put him in his crib."

"I'm not a stranger, Naruto," his father murmured as the younger blond walked away.

When the younger blond was gone, Sasuke spoke up quietly from by the door. "Maybe….Maybe he's afraid of you." He suggested.

Minato looked back at him, his blue eyes so close to Naruto's that it frightened Sasuke. In this man, he could see the beginning and the end; he could see the good and the evil. Like Naruto, there was nothing this man needed to hide. He was an upstanding citizen and he was a criminal. And like Naruto, he embraced both. "Huh?"

"I saw it." Sasuke blinked slowly, trying to remember the fear in Naruto's eyes when he first saw his father. But now that he tried remembering, it was easier to forget. "When he saw you, he looked scared. He grabbed a hold of Saku tighter and he moved away when you came closer."

Minato blinked for a long while before turning away and laughing the way a volcano erupted; hot and disturbing. And then there were things he didn't give Naruto. The man is a lot more easy going, able to laugh at any situation, while Naruto is ready to calculate and kill if need be.

Sasuke huffed quietly. He was smart. He knew what the hell he saw. "Nani ga son'nani omoshiroi no?"

Minato put his head down and lit the blunt. He was quiet when he inhaled and quiet when he let the smoke free. "Listen...I'll admit I wasn't the best father to him. Hence why I faked my death when I went down. But that kid…." He smirked, "Isn't scared of anything. Not even me. You aren't crazy. I saw the look in his eyes too. But, it wasn't fear, it was a defense. Naruto is brutally protective if he feels anything is threatening. He gets it from me. He wasn't moving back because he was scared, he was moving back for his son."

Sasuke watched the man before nodding. "I see."

"What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail? He has no fear of anything because he does everything well. He has no fear of jail because he was born in the slum and no fear of death because that's just life. Put a bullet to the kid's head, and he'll pull the trigger for you. That's why he's Ōmo."

To every other Namikaze in the room, it's a harsh blow to the gut. Minato Namikaze isn't a subtle person, unlike his son. He'll gloat about his money and his reputation while Naruto will remain a silent killer, smiling like a daydream above a nightmare. One thing Minato hasn't stopped gloating about since Naruto was seventeen is how great his son is.

Naruto was a punk as a child. He got bullied in school and by his older cousin. He was scrawny and he clung to Betsy for protection, but he got stronger. He pushed himself to do things that Karin was too nice to do, and Nagato was too afraid to do. And despite being the youngest, Naruto now runs the family. Misaji doesn't move for anyone and Madoka doesn't speak much, but they listen to Naruto. Nagato is a leader and Karin is brash, but they follow their younger cousin. Naruto makes the calls. It's Naruto that got everyone out of Kabukichō. He's a first generation millionaire, and Minato doesn't give a damn if it makes Karin and Nagato feel envious or less than what they are.

* * *

 _Namikaze Household_

 _Kabukichō, Tokyo, Japan_

 _1993_

He'd been wondering where his son was for a while now. The boy had been quiet all day and it was the afternoon when Minato realized he hadn't seen him. In fact, he didn't remember Naruto even saying anything to him all day. He was silent like the loss of wind, almost forgotten until Minato needed to breathe.

The man stood up from the couch and Madoka, who sat on the couch sewing clothes, looked up bewildered. His brown eyes were vast, showing Minato just how much desert they held.

Minato's lips went out because he wanted to hide his impassive look. He wanted to stay calm and coordinated. If there was one thing he hated more than being ignored, was his existence being forgotten. "Just because I'm quiet doesn't mean I'm invisible. I was sitting here before you."

Madoka shook his head and held the skin above his heart. "I didn't notice you."

"You said hello when you came in!" Madoka blinked. His brother only sighed. There was no use trying to argue with the youngest sibling. He'd go on all day defending himself. "Nevermind that. Have you seen Naruto at all today?"

Madoka smirked and looked back at the sweater he was making for winter. He knew something Minato didn't which was almost surprising. "He's been in the backyard all day punching that bag."

That's when Minato Namikaze became his greatest enemy. He remembered yelling at Naruto the prior day, telling him to get stronger, telling him to stop being lazy and start building muscle in his scrawny body. And just hearing that Naruto had been doing that all day made the guilt hit him fast. His chest felt like it was melting away, being burned by the heated lava of his own anger. It was a corrosive feeling, a feeling of self-torture.

Madoka eyed him from the top of the sweater and Minato felt the urge to hide away; to find a place where it was easier to breathe. "You're too hard on Naruto, Nato."

"I don't mean to be," Minato muttered. "I don't mean to be hard on him. I just want him to be better. If I treat him the same way we were treated, he's going to end up the same way. I want him to be different. I don't want him to get anyone pregnant so young or even join a gang. I want him to surpass me. And if I have to pummel him to the ground just so he can see the sky, it'll have to be like this."

"Yeah. I get it. Anata no hokori wa anata no zaiaku-kan yori mo tsuyoi. Just go tell him it's almost time for dinner."

The blond said nothing more as he left the living room and went to the back door. He wondered if Naruto really was out there practicing on the bag tied to the branch of a tree. He wondered how Naruto felt about him. Did he feel cautious around his father? As if he couldn't be better in the eyes of the scrutinizing man? He wondered if Naruto took every word he'd ever said and stitched it to his heart.

 _Probably._ His mind told him. _Every degradation, every command, every sigh of disappointment is woven into that boy's heart, stitched with unbreakable thread and still healing._

Minato stopped by the back door and sure enough, his 10-year-old son was out by the old tree hitting Minato's old punching bag. The boy looked determined. More determined that he'd ever seen and through the mesh screen, Minato could hear him muttering to himself.

"I don't stink." With each punch to the bag. "Leave me alone." With each kick to the bag. Minato had never seen his blue eyes that hard and his lips that pursed. "I'm going to be as strong as you, dad." The boy kicked the heavy bag hard and watched as it flew away with ferocity. Minato's eyes widened as the punching bag finally succumbed to gravity and began flying back toward Naruto at max speed.

"No," he whispered.

Naruto punched the bag with his left arm and as much strength as the boy could muster. A scrawny 52 pound 10-year-old against a 100-pound bag designed for professional heavy hitters. It just didn't make sense. On impact, Naruto screamed. It was nothing but a scream of pain. No fear, no excitement, nothing. Just raw ripe pain, anguished enough to give the world grief. Minato blinked his eyes wide and just as he twisted the doorknob, Naruto stopped screaming. He looked toward the house in what could only be secrecy and Minato moved to the side slightly, wondering what was going on in his son's head.

The boy watched the house for five minutes before sighing in what could only be relief. He cried. As quiet and secretive as he was, he cried. Minato saw him. He saw the boy bite his lip to mask his pain, and the tears that wet the dry ground, holding his swaying arm with the arm he could still use.

* * *

Minato sighed. "He partially dislocated his shoulder and hid it for an hour. I wanted to see what he was going to do. But he came in for supper and sat down without saying a word. And then I took him to the hospital." Minato laughed softly. "You should have seen the look on his face when I told him we were going. Went through an entire year of rehabilitation for that arm."

Suddenly, he laughed, loud and boisterous in a way that made Madoka shake his head in amusement. "My son's the fucking lord of Japan and he did it all by himself."

Sasuke doesn't say a thing. But he can't wait until he sees the blush on Naruto's face when he tells him this later tonight.

Minato blinks rapidly and sits up, his eyes red as he tried to offer the blunt to Neji. "I apologize for my selfishness."

Neji shook his head. "I'm sorry. I don't smoke."

"Well, I'll be damned. In the past four years, I haven't been around a man that _wasn't_ high. But that's alright. It's your body and you should do what you want with it and love it too." The man took a few long drags, coughed a few times, and smiled softly. He was so different than Naruto, and yet almost identical. Naruto didn't like smoking, in fact, he hated looking at cigarettes, cigars, and blunts. He hated when Sasuke smoked his cigarettes, but he still accepted that people had decisions. People had lives that he couldn't control. In addition, Naruto Namikaze would never smile this much around anyone. He may let out a quirk of the lips once or twice, but he doesn't light up the room like bullets the way Minato is doing with his smile. And Naruto would never just make conversation with Neji. Naruto didn't really like Neji. Naruto didn't really like anyone. But Minato is different. He's only known Neji for ten minutes and already, they've spoken about weed, strength, and decisions.

"So what's your story?"

Neji looked up from his book again, his eyes finding blue ones. "I'm sorry?"

"What's your story?" The man repeated. "Your life?"

Neji blushed slightly. "I don't really have one to tell."

"Everyone has a life. You're here, aren't you?"

"But you should be having an intervention with your family."

Minato looked to Nagato, who was watching by the door, to Madoka who was watching his blunt, to Misaji who was at the table, and Karin while she clung to Neji's arm. He sighed, leaned forward, and handed the leaf to Madoka, who took it with gratitude. "I've got the rest of my life to talk to them. I'm interested in you."

Sasuke choked on his own spit and everyone turned to look at him. The man continued to cough haphazardly as he tried deciphering what Naruto's father meant. Did he mean he was romantically interested in Neji or was Sasuke a romantic?

Once the coughing fit was over, Minato stood and walked over to him, his eyes scrutinizing the raven with deep blue sea eyes.

"Nevermind." He muttered. "I've found the gem." He watched Sasuke before saying with a smirk. "I always knew Naruto was going to end up gay. And based on the looks he got from me-"

"Jesus Christ," Misaji muttered in exasperation in the background.

"-I always knew he'd marry the best man in this country. Sasuke Uchiha."

Sasuke crossed his arms. "Namikaze." He corrected in a joking manner.

Minato laughed heartily. "Damn right. You see, I didn't need to come here and learn about you, Sasuke. I've learned enough. Sasuke Namikaze; the man who doesn't need anyone's opinion because he has his own. The man who's crazy enough to have his dogs eat a woman alive. The psycho. I've heard enough."

"And what do you think?" Sasuke smiled, his lips quivering.

"What do you care what I think about you? Or your relationship with my son?"

"True." He wanted to say more. He wanted to say that he was staying by Naruto's side no matter what happened, but it wasn't needed.

"Even if it doesn't matter, I think you belong exactly where you are. I've seen something in him already and I haven't seen that in years. Not since mom died."

Sasuke can't say a thing except "Betsy was important to him."

And Minato can't reply with a thing besides "she was. She is."

* * *

 _Namikaze Household_

 _April 24, 2005_

When Naruto returned, he didn't say a word. He waited until someone else spoke and every family member knew what he wanted. He wanted answers. They all did.

Misaji rubbed his hands together awkwardly, his eyes stuck to the ground as he sighed shakingly. "Uh...where do I start? Myself or dad?"

"Why did he keep it secret?" Naruto murmured, and his father resisted the urge to command Naruto to put some bass into his voice. "Why did grandpa and Betsy have to keep their love a secret when there was nothing wrong with it?"

"Naruto, it's very hard to explain."

"It can't be." Naruto hissed. "Our entire lives, you told us that Betsy was his best friend. That she saved him when no one else could. And we believed you. We called Betsy a superhero."

"And none of that's changed," Madoka murmured. Sasuke felt bad for the man. Even when he spoke softly, he looked pained, as if all of this breaking apart was too much to handle. "She was everything he needed. You can fall in love with your best friend."

Sasuke hummed at the thought. Although he adored Neji and Sha, Naruto Namikaze was ultimately his best friend. He was everything for Sasuke and Sasuke loved him. So it was true. You could fall in love with your best friend.

"Then what about Linda?" There's silence around the room that no one, not even the great Ōmo, can withstand. "Grandpa always talked about how he loved her and Betsy always talked about how she was a good person. But they were…." He inhaled sharply, the thought not comfortable in his mind yet. "Together."

"What about Linda?" Minato asked a bit harsher than he intended. Sasuke hoped the man wouldn't get angry about anything. "She left. And she was forgotten like a bad dream."

Naruto stared incredulously. "She's still apart of us. She's still the reason we're all here."

"She was a child bearer. And that's the only title she gets. Who would you choose? If you could only save one of their lives, should you choose mom or Linda?"

Naruto's eyes narrowed as if he couldn't believe he was asked that. And without hesitation, he answered with offense. "Betsy."

Minato smiled big. "Alright then. It's settled. It doesn't need to be discussed."

"Still, dad. Why can't we just respect her?"

"Because Linda was a coward." Karin gasped at her uncle's blunt choice of words and Sasuke inwardly sighed. It took the family years to admit that. He had it in his mind for the past years but always stopped from voicing it to Naruto. Not because he was afraid Naruto would deny, but he was afraid Naruto would accept it. "After the war, it would be bad for a white woman to mix with a Japanese man. And Linda knew that. Us three," he pointed to Misaji, Madoka, and himself. "We were a mistake. We weren't supposed to come out, but we did. And Linda ran before anyone knew we were half Japanese. Linda was afraid of the discrimination. And Betsy was too. But Betsy stayed. She's more of a mother to me than anyone in this world."

Naruto remained quiet then. And Sasuke saw it in his husband's face. How he accepted the claim, first with indifference, then begrudgingly, and finally with sadness. Linda Patterson would fade away from existence soon and no one would talk about her. Her picture wouldn't be hung up in family rooms and her name would pass like the wind.

Sasuke stood quietly, trying not to draw attention to himself as he moved across the room to where Naruto sat. The man squeezed between his husband and the seat and grabbed Naruto's hand. He curled his feet up and laid his head on the other man's shoulder, not caring about the eyes on him.

It was quiet in the room and Sasuke would bet his life that Naruto was staring down at him with confusion. So he looked up and as true as day, the sky stared back down. Naruto didn't say a thing, so Sasuke whispered first, a whisper so soft, it was lost to other ears.

"I really like you." He smiled goofily toward the end. Naruto stared before his lips quirked softly. Sasuke giggled. "Can you go on a date with me?"

And the man laughed, trying to let out a "Sasuke" but letting his quiet laughs drown it out. "You're crazy" he whispered.

Sasuke only smiled and looked away, laying his head back on the blond's shoulder.

Misaji continued. "I want to clear some things up...about my AIDS."

The statement was a shocker to Minato's ears because the man dropped his blunt on their white carpet. He scrambled to retrieve it and when he did, he stared guiltily at the small, but black portion of the expensive fabric. He looked toward Sasuke apologetically, who only smiled.

"What did you say?"

Misaji looked toward him, but not at him. "I have AIDS, Nato. Since I was young and first started messing around with Fusō." He sighed. "The day I collapsed in the kitchen and you drove me to the hospital... that's when we found out."

"Saji...when…." With difficulty…. "How?"... And finished off with "I don't understand."

"You don't need to understand the how and the why or even the what. What I want everyone to understand is the when. With this illness, it's hard for me to live the life I want to live. I have to be careful because my immune system isn't as strong as anyone else's. But I want everyone to know I don't need pity. I've made it this far and I can make it even further. But still, there's a chance I could die any day now. And that's why it was a secret for so long. Because I don't want to scare you all even though I'm scared too."

Sasuke leaned up and although this wasn't his intervention, he couldn't let this go to past. "You're not alone in this." Everyone turned toward him and Naruto, sensing his husband's pain, pulled his pale hand up and kissed it softly. "You have a wonderful family and they'll support and take care of you every step of the way. That secret should have been told instantly, yeah, but the past is the past. All sides can be understood. You have everyone with you. And if you're afraid of death, just keep in mind that everyone's with you till the end."

Misaji continued to stare at the ground, but he put his hand up and wiped it across his face. "Thank you, Sasuke. I had no idea you were so good at this."

Sasuke sighed inaudibly. "My grandfather is the one that raised me. He lived in Nagasaki his entire life. He's also a survivor of the World War Two bombing that devastated the land. From that, he acquired a few bodily changes and liver cancer. Liver cancer that was so severe that the doctors told me he'd die at 64. Now that he's past that age, they tell me any day now. Oji could die any day now and it does hurt, but I try my best to take care of him. He tries to take care of himself a lot and he also hates telling me that things are wrong because he wants to look strong, and it annoys me. Some days I want him to live, some days I don't."

Minato sat back when Sasuke grew quiet. "Must be a superhero." He muttered.

Naruto smiled when Sasuke nodded. "He is."

"I'm talking about you."

The raven blushed slightly, leaning further into Naruto to hide from the prideful eyes of Minato Namikaze. Who was this man? He'd heard so little of Sasuke so far, but he liked him. It was clear he liked him. But praise? Why would anyone praise Sasuke? He was so _imperfect._ He was an intersex and couldn't even be classified as a sex. He had scars, deep inside when he looked at himself and outside when other people looked at him. Scars from his pregnancy and falling down the stairs. Scars that stung. So why the hell would anyone show an interest in him?

Naruto shifted beside him. "Everyone loves him, you know?" The man was serious both from Sasuke's thoughts he could feel and the conversations going on around him. "He's almost like a balance to the organization. He's done his fair share of keeping everyone alive and well. B loves him. Shik loves him. Sha really loves him. Lee, Kisame, and everyone else too. Sasuke always makes a wonderful impression on everyone."

The former Uchiha punched him in his arm softly, a blush on his face.

Minato laughed boisterously. "I don't doubt it for a second. B's still around. I thought he'd end up getting himself killed, that crazy kid." But there was hidden love there as if Minato was speaking and reminiscing at the same time. He wondered - and when Sasuke wondered, he really put thought into thought - what could prison take away from you? What could a small cell steal from man's mind day by day? Fond memories, perhaps. "And Sha. How's she doing…" He smirked, closing his eyes. "That pretty thing."

She was a mortal danger to all men. She was beautiful without knowing it and possessed charms that she wasn't even aware of. She was like a trap set by nature.

It was no doubt that Sha was beautiful, but sometimes Sasuke hated that people never saw beyond that. Besides the family, everyone, men, and women saw Sha as some pretty murderer. When she wasn't just that. Sure, she was known to be the most desired woman in the business, but she was a goddamned leader. And just as Sasuke went to voice his opinion, Minato cut him off with a small fond laugh.

"She's still committing her deed right? Still carrying herself like a queen? How's she running the Falcons?" The man gave no one time to speak as he continued with fondness. "She's going to love that I'm free now."

Naruto involuntarily gagged. 'Dad, you met her when she was 18. She's old enough to be your daughter."

"Good thing she isn't though. And Shikamaru, how's he doing. That kid, man. I remember when he was in diapers."

Naruto looked down. "He's...he's going through therapy right now. He was shot a few months ago."

"What?" Minato sat up. "Who did it? Did you take care of him?"

Sasuke sighed. Naruto rubbed circles on his palm. "It's taken care of. And it's a long story. Right now, we need to worry about this family." He turned to Nagato. "I forgive you. I know Betsy meant a lot to all of us and you were confused. It's not your fault. It's no one's fault. But we took care of Fey right. We took care of everyone that hurt Betsy and we did it right. Me, you, and Karin. So don't go beating yourself up over it. What happened, happened. I'll admit, it's a fresh wound and just her death alone is still taking time to get used too."

The man slumped, mood now stomped. "I still hate May. And that's because, in the back of my mind, I'm still waiting for her to show up. I wonder, every May if it was all a bad dream or even a bad joke. But I know Betsy isn't like that. She loved us. And running away or even leaving is impossible. The only way Betsy was ever going to leave us if death himself stopped her. And it hurts."

Naruto looked away from his family and Karin put her head down, wiping her tears too. Nagato choked. "I'm so sorry. I knew I could have done everything in my power to go outside and stop them. Question them on what they were doing, but I didn't. And Betsy died because of me."

"No," Naruto hissed. "Betsy died because greedy men didn't value their own lives. Or the lives of the family. Don't go apologizing because all my efforts to make Fey's family hurt would be futile. I did everything I could to make her rest. Women, men, even kids...I had them all killed. So don't go apologizing. Fey already did." And then he's giving a feral grin to his older cousin that Sasuke sees a lot.

Nagato Namikaze is Naruto's hero, and Sasuke's known that for years now. Since they were younger, Nagato always stood up for him and protected him, even going as far as hurting Karin just because the girl hurt Naruto's feelings. There's always a twinkle in his blue eyes when he speaks of Nagato and calls him both a true blessing and a true criminal. Not even that small secret could tear them apart, and for that Sasuke was glad. When the world broke apart, he knew he could be there for his husband. But Naruto would always need Nagato for support. Like he'd always need Shikamaru and Bolade.

"Mom's soul rested three years ago." Minato's soft murmur breaks away everyone's thoughts and everyone turned to stare at him. "Call me crazy if you want, but I could feel it. I could feel her soul resting in the clouds and I was happy then. She's rested right now. It's hard to explain."

Sasuke leaned up too. He really had no place there and he really hated to keep interrupting, but the Namikaze's were so interesting. They way they told stories with so much emotion made Sasuke feel like he had been there, in those memories, watching with sadness and content.

"You're not," He murmured and again, those eyes were on him. "I could feel it too. May 5th, 2002. Naruto took me to the mountain where it all started and he told me about her. I felt his pain that day, the sadness was pulling me in and I cried even though I never met her. But I could feel another pain. Like something that was there and not there. And I think it was Betsy. She was sad because Naruto was sad. And I swear, it was her."

The home grew quiet then as everyone reveled in the thought that Betsy would be with them no matter what.

* * *

 _Namikaze Household_

 _Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan_

 _April 24, 2005_

Naruto sighed, removing his shirt and throwing it into the hamper in their corner. "What a long day." The 'intervention,' he hated the fucking word, had gone better than he expected. He expected fights and arguments to break out, tears and pain because of those damned secrets, but none of that occurred. They sat and spoke civilly, giving honest answers when questioned were raised. The Namikaze were on good terms again, which meant the business could start running better, as it always did. Naruto hadn't lost an ounce of trust. He trusted his family more than most and he trusted that they kept secrets for good reason. To mask their pain and regret, not to hurt Naruto. So he trusted them still. And first thing in the morning, he would visit Karin's house and go grocery shopping with her. And meet with Nagato to talk business, like he always did. The man could hear his son babbling drowsily and he looked toward the bed, where the baby lay.

Saku was obviously trying to stay awake, although the baby looked tired. Naruto had put pillows on both edges of the bed for the restless boy. And for good reason. Saku continued to roll and babble incoherent words. When he hit one side of pillows, he rolled back over to the other side.

"What are you on about, boy?" he asked in amusement. The baby lifted his head and stared at his father, slob dripping from his smiling mouth. Naruto grunted. "Well," he asked expectantly.

Saku laughed. His child laugh was so free and full of life as he stared at the blond man. Naruto had no idea what the boy was laughing at, but it was a contagious thing. He got that from him. And so he laughed too, loud and boisterous like his own father.

Sasuke came in shaking his head, wearing his towel around his waist. "And I can imagine you two are laughing about absolutely nothing. But, yeah, Nagai tsuitachidatta. What surprised me the most was Karin having a new boyfriend."

"Yeah," Naruto agreed subtly.

And Sasuke added, "Who I don't want to meet by the way."

Naruto raised a brow as Sasuke went over to their bed, lifting their laughing son in one fell swoop. He sat on the bed and cradles the baby carefully, watching Saku greedily put his small mouth on the man's nipple. "Why not? You're a part of the family now."

"You heard what Rock Lee said. Either Karin loses interest quickly or all her late boyfriends are cruel people. I'm not going to meet him because I don't like speaking with the dead. It disturbs me."

Naruto stared at him for a long time, remembering the conversation Rock Lee had with Karin back in January. How Karin was angry about rejection and masked it by telling Lee she'd end up killing him anyway. And then Lee's words went through his mind. _I have luck so bad, I'd actually survive you trying to kill me._

The man laughed boisterously then. "I remember that."

Sasuke smiled. "How is he? Rock Lee I mean?"

Naruto shrugged coming to sit on the bed and watch his son eat. "I'm not sure. I haven't spoken to him in a month. Because well you know, no one to really clean up. But I did station him out in Russia at one of the drug houses. He'll be back in a week or so." Sasuke nodded and Naruto couldn't resist the question that came out of his mouth next. "You adore him, don't you?"

"Hn?"

"Mush, you adore him."

Sasuke smiled. "Well, after Saku, I do have to admit he's the most adorable thing in the world. His nose is all tiny and red. And his eyes are all big and flashy likes he's always surprised. And his mouth is like yours, all pouty, but his is determined. He looks like a child like he doesn't belong with you all. Like he shouldn't be a criminal."

Naruto sighed with a smile. "Mush's has always been like that. For as long as I can remember. Always dead last behind everyone. Always determined to prove himself despite his luck. And you're right. He does look like he doesn't belong. Because really, he isn't like the rest of us. He's softer. And I tried to keep him a secret so the world wouldn't hurt him."

Sasuke hummed gently, moving Saku away from his chest when the boy turned his head away, done drinking. "There there." Saku sat up by himself, with the help of Sasuke's stomach. Naruto remembered a time when the baby needed assistance in burping. But true to Sai's word, the boy began burping himself at the start of his four months. Now that he could sit up and move on his own, the air bubbles would continue to rise. Sasuke kissed the baby's head. "And you know how much I love you, but I'll let you vomit on daddy tonight, okay. Goodnight, my mini-me. I love you."

Saku continued to burp as he was handed to Naruto, who left the room with a grunt, ready to tuck his son in.

It took twenty entire minutes to get Saku to actually sleep. The boy was restless. He couldn't walk or crawl so he rolled. When his food began to really settle in, only then did the four-month-old baby's eyes flutter softly.

Naruto had kissed him goodnight and sludged to his room tiredly. He couldn't wait to hit the soft mattress and start the next day.

When he walked into that room, however, the man stopped, staring at a cushioned chair that hadn't been there before he left.

"Sit." Sasuke came out of their bathroom again, this time wearing a full robe.

"Huh?"

"Sit," the man said again, this time softer. "I'm proud of you." He came further into the room. "For cooperating today like I wanted you to, so you deserve this. Sit."

It was only then Naruto realized what _this_ actually was. He blushed. "Sasuke. Neji is sleeping downstairs in the room below us. Let's not do this."

Sasuke raised a brow. Slowly, centimeter by centimeter, he removed the robe from his pale skin, revealing briefs that hugged his form perfectly. "So you don't want to straddle me to the floor?"

For Sasuke, Ōmo could be pretty damn weak if he put his mind to it. His chest grew extremely hot and he found it hard to breathe. Sitting in the chair, the man imagined everything they could do tonight that they hadn't had time to do in months.

"Alright then. Let's do this." He muttered.

* * *

Blue eyes watched hungrily, following the slow sensual sway of hips and shoulders, roaming over a half-naked body. A neck arched in perfection, offering everything there was to give. Long-fingers, strong hands reached up into the air above, every fluid movement part of a planned and perfectly memorized choreography.

Obsidian, half-lidded eyes glanced over to the other side of the room where Naruto sat and teasing hands roamed over a pale bare chest, giving an invitation. Daring Naruto to move out of his seat.

Naruto licked his lips with a flick of his tongue. His mouth had gone dry simply by watching the body before him bend and sway. Sasuke smiled softly, his hands sliding along his thighs and his husband's breath caught in his throat. Then he let himself fall forward, now on hands and knees, and his dark eyes captured Naruto with their intense stare, beckoning him over when he knew he had to remain seated.

Naruto panted in his seat, becoming a slave to his own desired.

Sasuke crawled forward on hands and knees, his gaze never went astray, holding Naruto's and a subtle yearning burned deep down in his gleaming black hole eyes.

Rising from the floor, his fingers trailed along his stomach, across his chest, along his neck, into his hair and when he closed his eyes in silent pleasure, a barely audible sigh left his full lips.

Naruto's hands tightened around the armrests of his cushioned chair, his toes curling on the carpet.

He had been to clubs before. He had seen the women move around on the poles like it was an art. Saw them dance and sway their hips. But he had never seen _Sasuke_ dance like this. Sasuke wasn't a stripper. Not any of those women Naruto used to see in the clubs before he met the raven. He wasn't like them, not even half experienced. But... _fuck._

The raven took forever to walk up to him, slowly putting one foot in front of the other, showing off his perfect body clad in nothing but tight, short briefs.

When he finally stood before Naruto, he was smirking softly. He stood between his husband's legs now, and slowly, he put his hands on the man's thighs, close to his hips.

He leaned in further, so close their lips almost touched, their minty breaths mingling with every slow exhale, gazes still locked.

Naruto inhaled sharply when Sasuke got down to sit between his legs only to get back up again in one fluid motion, rolling his hips. Sasuke repeated the motion before he got back down to sit between Naruto's spread legs again. He let his hands slide up strong thighs once more until they almost touched…

"Sasuke," Naruto murmured. "I want to touch you now."

Sasuke stood again, running his fingers back down Naruto's thighs. Here tried to hide his giggle, but his lips quirked.

Naruto blushed in embarrassment. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

The raven stuck his tongue out in response. "What are you gonna do about it?"

His fingers dipped to admire his husband's soft ripple of muscle on his abs. His skin tone was a touch darker than Sasuke's, harmonizing perfectly with his blond hair and his azure eyes.

The raven turned away, beginning to walk away, which was a mistake. Within a heartbeat Naruto was on top of him, trapping him between his legs and arms, kissing him fervently. Sasuke squirmed but still returned the kiss with the same ferocity and after another moment or two, his arms had found their way around Ōmo's neck.

Naruto jerked back, a half-suppressed moan falling from his lips, panting, but Sasuke held him in place, enjoying how much Naruto was at his mercy right now, with his thigh pressing upwards and against the gradually hardening bulge in the underwear

"Let me take off your shirt," he whispered in the other's ear, who had lowered his head to rest it on Sasuke's shoulder, his fingers flexing around Sasuke's arms in response to the friction between his legs.

Naruto's T-shirt ended up next to them on the floor and Sasuke's hands eagerly roamed all over his firm chest, his broad back, mapping out every centimeter of unknown territory. His fingers trailed over the prominent cords of muscle running along Naruto's shoulder blades then down his spine and the small of his back.

He tilted his head up to move his lips leisurely against the blond again, playfully tugging at the lower one with his teeth, tasting him with his tongue.

Naruto moved back, only to move down, kissing his neck, sucking at it, leaving a burning trail all the way down to his collarbone and beyond it. The tip of his tongue teased Sasuke's nipple and the scraping of nails on the floor paired with soft moaning filled his ears when Sasuke's upper body bent into a perfect arch, pushing into the stimulating, hot touch.

Naruto's hand rested on the raven's left hip, holding him tight, his thumb drawing circles next to the hip bone. Sasuke's tender spot. He loved how Sasuke was. The raven had lost some weight when Saku was born, but recently he had gained some, leaving stretch marks on his lower belly and hips.

"Wait," Sasuke managed to murmur. Ōmo stopped and leaned away.

"What is it?"

"Take off everything…" Sasuke whispered, returning Naruto's gaze with the same intensity and only letting it wander down his naked chest and along the trail of course blond hair when he knew the briefs were gone, too.

He could never be disappointed with Naruto. The blond stood in his glory and moved to the bed where he sat and Sasuke watched him the entire way, imagining the things they could do.

"C'mere," the other's voice pulled him from his thoughts and he looked back at him, unhurriedly standing up from the floor and crossing the distance between them with two small steps.

Hardly had he stopped in front of Naruto when he was spun around, back pressed against Naruto's firm chest and his ass against a growing erection. He hummed in pleasure and gasped when a hand wandered down his abs and suddenly vanished inside his boxer shorts, palming his own hardening dick. Naruto bit down on Sasuke's shoulder and his own fingers scratched along Naruto's thigh on their desperate search for something to hold on to.

Naruto flipped them and smiled softly at Sasuke. He kissed the raven and moved down. Kissed the soft skin next to his right hip bone, sucking at it, wandering further down. He kissed the base of the penis and Sasuke swallowed drily as he watched the tan mouth kissing and sucking its way to the tip. Once he'd reached it, Naruto opened his glinting blue eyes, his gaze dark with promise and clouded with lust and it made Sasuke shiver.

Naruto wrapped his lips around the tip and sucked softly, gaze unwavering. One of Sasuke's hands involuntarily found its way to the mess of blond hair, taking a handful, tugging at it in a desperate attempt to release some of the hot tension building up in his groin and to keep himself from simply pushing his hips forward.

Naruto took his sweet time, taking the other into his mouth inch by inch, pulling away and taking him back in again, a bit deeper every time, swirling his tongue around the tip every now and then, sucking. Both of Sasuke's hands were tangled in the light waves by now and the rhythm of his breathing had become considerably quicker, his pulse thrumming away loudly in his ears.

The blond stopped abruptly, giving no warning as he stood fully. Sasuke whined softly, his penis growing cold as the air hit the saliva wrapped around it.

He shut up however when Naruto's expert lips left a trail of kisses down his neck, along the upward curve of his shoulder, their touch becoming more of a caress when Naruto had reached a particular part of Sasuke's hip, where the stretch marks lay. Sasuke tensed the moment he realized that the careful touch of Naruto's mouth was deliberate. He'd been wondering how long it'd take them to reach this point.

"You don't have to kiss me there if you don't want to," he said, staring at the ceiling. Naruto only huffed and continued, brushing his nose over the leathery, scarred parts.

"Do you want me to kiss you there?" Ōmo asked, briefly pausing, waiting for an answer and a permission to continue.

"I don't want you to kiss me anywhere simply because you think you have to in order to not hurt my feelings," Sasuke replied, suddenly sounding a bit agitated. It seemed the topic was a sore point and the blond had a notion why.

"Sasuke... I love you," he whispered. "Every part of you." moving back up, the man put his arms on either side of Sasuke's head.

The younger man immediately wrapped his legs around his lover's waist and pulled him down to capture his lips, engaging him in another passionate kiss. Naruto rolled his hips, their erections rubbing against one another and Sasuke hummed in appreciation.

Naruto leaned up and reached over to the dresser, grabbing a bottle of lube.

Prepare me?" Sasuke asked with a sweetness to his tone Naruto always heard from him. Placing his left hand on Sasuke's right knee, he leaned down to kiss the inside of his thigh, whispering, "Anything for you," and his eyes wandered up to the pale face to see his astonished expression.

"N…?"

"Mhm," he hummed, as a sign, he was listening.

Sasuke opened his mouth to say something, but then simply let his head fall back into the pliant pillows, covering his eyes with his arm.

"Never mind. 'S nothing," he mumbled.

Naruto nodded and coated his fingers in lube, gently pushing in the first finger as Sasuke's muscles contracted around him. Naruto put his other hand on a hip to hold him down, his mouth still at work on the other's lips.

When Sasuke had relaxed again, the Namikaze slowly started moving his finger and after the first few thrusts, he felt his Sasuke's body rock into his motion, meeting him eagerly.

He added a second finger and Sas wrapped his arms around the tan neck, clinging to him like a drowning man messily returning the kiss.

Another moan slipped past his lips when Naruto added a third finger, carefully teasing him open.

"Naruto…" Sasuke panted, whispering "I'm ready."

The other man nodded and Sasuke blinked long and hard trying to savor their every movement and moment.

Sasuke opened his eyes and their gazes met. Naruto felt his heart skip a beat as the world seemed to stop, the only sound disrupting the silence of their bedroom being their ragged breathing. There was a burning desire in those dark dark eyes he had never come upon anywhere else, mixed with another emotion he couldn't quite place at the time, but he knew the look in his own eyes was exactly the same.

He leaned forward, his hips slowly following his body's movement as he pushed into the tight heat. Again, Sasuke tensed around him and Sasuke willed himself to stop, allowing him some time to adjust before he pushed in further until he was finally all the way in. He moaned at the feeling and Sasuke pulled him down for a lazy, unhurried kiss, dragging the tip of his tongue across Ōmo's lower lip before slipping inside, toying with his tongue for a bit, reveling in the new level of closeness they had acquired.

When he pulled away again, Naruto asked, "Are you alright?" and Sasuke smiled reassuringly in response, stroking a cheek with the back of his hand and tugging some loose strands behind Naruto's ear.

This time it was the Namikaze initiating the kissing and while their lips were still moving against one another, he pulled his hips back before rocking them forward again. The friction intensified, even more, when Sasuke started moving his own hips in perfect synchronization with Naruto's.

They found a slow rhythm, both trying to stay in control a little longer to make the most of this moment, enjoying the other's taste on their tongues and the closeness of their joined bodies until the heat pooling in their groins became almost unbearable.

His thrusts became harder, deeper and Sasuke covered his mouth with the back of his hand, suppressing his moans.

"Don't," Naruto pressed out between his teeth as soon as he saw it. He wanted to hear and see Sasuke because he loved him. And Sasuke loved everything about him. His eyes, his hair, his mood, his way of life. He drank Naruto's imperfections and then asked for more when his tongue rolled around the bitterness of the man's life. He loved his sins even when he couldn't understand them. He loved his Omo.

He loved him as certain dark things were supposed to be loved, in secret, between the shadow and the soul.

* * *

 **Japanese Words Used Here:**

Anata no buki o rōdo suru means "load your weapons."

Nani ga son'nani omoshiroi no? means "What is so funny?"

Anata no hokori wa anata no zaiaku-kan yori mo tsuyoi means "your pride is stronger than your guilt."

Nagai tsuitachidatta translates to "It was a long day."

 **Russian Words Used Here:**

Группа R достигла… translates to "Unit R has reached."

opustite oruzhiye literally translates to "lower arms." Victor is telling a man to lower their weapon.

 **Candyman isn't a slang term for cocaine, but it is a drug-related term; as I've said, I'll be titling the chapters by drug-related terms, most of which have dealt with the drug besides Bigwig. Candyman is another term for a drug dealer, and here, it's another nickname for Naruto. We learn more about Naruto's past here and his pains too. From when he was a child, he tried everything in his power to impress his father and not disappoint, hence why he stopped screaming when he partially dislocated his shoulder. We also see how he felt about Betsy, Sasuke, and Rock Lee as well.**

 **At the beginning of the chapter, the events are happening in Russia on the same day as the Namikaze intervention. Here's what went down: Rock Lee was sent in to watch over the drug house. Somehow, the Russian FSB found out about it and so did America. KEEP IN MIND that this raid was purely deceptive. Someone did tell, but we'll find out in due time. Well, Bolade found out that there would be a raid and he sent Shino over to 'arrest' Lee, where really, he was going to keep him from getting hurt. They raided the house. When Shino was about to be killed, the man had shot a hole in the wall. Sakura noticed the plastic in the wall before anyone, but what she was looking at and what she thought she saw were the lips of a human.**

 **Naruto killed twenty people and put them inside the walls of that home. Twenty falcons that Lee admitted didn't do what Naruto wanted. They were all stood up against the wall, plastic over their heads, both men, and women. They were all shot in the head, their bellies were bloated, and on top of that, their smell echoed around the house when they were discovered. Shino had gone outside with Sakura while the others cleaned up the bodies. Some men were inside a shed trying to unlock a latch on the ground. When they did, the shed blew up, indicating that Naruto had something down there that he didn't want to be found. Shino heard arguing in the house and found Army ranger Newman had put his assault rifle directly in Lee's face. He was yelling about the bomb, but Lee couldn't understand him. Newman shot and killed Lee, starting a war.**

 **As of now, Naruto and Sasuke are unaware of Rock Lee's sudden death. But, when they do find out, it's going to hurt. Sasuke more than anything.**

 **The Namikaze's have talked and made up, but their story is far from over. They still have so much to do and deal with. Not to mention Minato has to get settled in.**

 **Thanks again guys, and don't forget to review.**


	17. Hunter

**Hunter**

 **Okay, so I wasn't expecting so much fewer reviews to the previous chapter. I want to be sure that I'm not rewriting things you guys may not like, so be sure to let me know.**

 **But, thank you to those who did review. It means a lot: Franbunny and a guest.**

 **Franbunny: I enjoyed Lee's character and I'm sorry I had to kill him off. But don't worry, Lee is the start of something new in this fic and even though he's gone, relationships that had yet to be discovered will be shown, especially he and Naruto's dynamic friendship. Thanks for reviewing.**

 **Guest: Naruto was pretty adorable as a kid, no matter how complex he was. And do you think hell is an understatement? XD we've all seen Naruto at his worst (er..best in his eyes) and even though it's going to hurt them, Sasuke and Naruto are going to go fishing ballistic when they find the culprit. Thanks for reviewing. It means a lot.**

* * *

 _Namikaze Household_

 _Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan_

 _April 25, 2005_

Sasuke's nose tickled. The man scrunched it up, too unconscious to move his head back. Something touched it again, and thoughts from last night idled into his brain, whistling on their stroll through.

" _Prepare me?" Sasuke asked with a sweetness._

 _Placing his left hand on Sasuke's right knee, he leaned down to kiss the inside of his thigh. "Anything for you," He whispered._

The raven felt a smile tug at the corners of his lips and he bit the bottom half. Something moist touched his nose again and he laughed. "Stop, Naruto. I'm sleepy."

The blond licked again.

Sasuke opened his dazed eyes with a smile. Once he came to his senses, he realized Naruto wasn't in front of him; Joō was.

"Queen," Naruto called from the other side of the room. The Dobermann leaned away from Sasuke's face to stare at Naruto, waiting obediently for an order. "Let Sasuke sleep. He's had a long night." Promptly, the dog turned and tried hopping off the bed. However, the silk sheets must have been too slippery for her paws, because Joō slipped off the bed, tumbling over until she hit the dresser.

Sasuke leaned up as Naruto came over in a haste. The raven crawled across the bed to see his lovely dog getting up, stumbling. When she looked toward them, Naruto cursed and went back into the bathroom, most likely to retrieve a wet towel.

Joō laid down with a whimper as she stared sadly at Sasuke, the nasty gash above her eye leaking with blood and hissing as it settled into the world. Sasuke stood and crouched by the dog. He leaned down and kissed her nose softly. "Poor baby." Joō whimpered again and Sasuke shook his head. "What's Naruto got you doing for you to try to act tough? That wound looks like it hurts."

Naruto came back in with a wet towel and first aid kit, rushing to crouch near Joō. He sighed when she looked up at him, her big brown eyes watery. "You're worth more trouble than Koshaku, you know that? And he's trouble himself." The blond looked toward Sasuke. "Hold her head still. I have to clean the cut with mild soap."

The younger man nodded and put a hand on either side of Joō's head, signaling for his husband to get to work. Naruto managed to clean the wound, despite Joō groaning, growling, and trying to squirm. When finished, he examined the pinkish white slash. It ran from the ridge bone where humans assumed eyebrows would be all the way to the top of her left eyelid. Her left eye was dropped slightly. The man grimaced. She must have hit the corner of the dresser very hard.

Turning, Naruto opened the kit, pulling out an anti-bacterial ointment and some cotton bandages. Carefully, the man dabbed a cloth of ointment on Joō's head. "I'm going to have to take her to the vet today. Get her eye checked out."

Sasuke only heard half of what the man said. He was busy planting kisses on Joō's head and whispering soothing things to her. The blond shook his head and stood, watching his dog's every movement as she lay down, almost dazed to the world. Something was wrong. He crouched. "Hold on, Sas." The raven ceased kissing the Dobermann and looked toward Naruto. The Namikaze's face was full of both concern and confusion as if he could see something. Putting up his hand, Naruto muttered. "C'mere, Queen. Give me your paw."

Her ears twitched toward him and she stood, but then she wobbled, more because of her untrustworthy eye than the crash. Naruto sighed. "Lay down." He commanded and Sasuke smiled proudly when she did exactly that. He didn't care if they loved everyone or not, those dogs were Naruto's dogs. They were loyal to him like no one and nothing else.

Naruto moved across the room in a haste to grab a button down shirt.

"What's wrong?" Sasuke murmured, his voice sadder than he expected. Naruto must have noticed too because the man froze in placing together a button, glancing at Sasuke's concerned face.

"Why are you so cute?" He mumbled. Either it wasn't supposed to be heard or it was rhetorical because Naruto answered Sasuke's question immediately. "Her eye's damaged. I have to go do something about it or she'll never walk correctly again. Do you have that internship today?"

"No. I called off because I was going to take Oji to his Chemotherapy appointment."

Naruto nodded and slipped on some pants. "Good. Do you want me to take Sūpaman?"

"No, it's fine. Oji wants to spend time with Saku."

Naruto smiled softly and moved over to Joō, who still lay with only one eye closed shut. He crouched where Sasuke was and kissed the man. Sasuke blushed when the blond kissed his forehead. "Ohayō, utsukushī," he whispered. "Did you sleep well?"

Sasuke smiled into the man's chest when Naruto hugged him. He pushed his head as far as it could go, trying to bury his face in Naruto's bones. No matter what, he would try his hardest to just be close to Naruto. To inhale his scent and be a part of him. Naruto chuckled despite the pressure on his ribs. His bones felt awkward and jaunty all of a sudden, but it was cute. "Of course I did, you idiot. I slept next to you." He came back up and smiled when Naruto grabbed hold of his face, his own grin cheeky and goofy and childish. As if he was falling in love all over again.

Never had Sasuke felt like this with any of his boyfriends over his life. And he doubted he would feel like this with anyone else. He couldn't imagine spending the rest of his life with someone he couldn't talk to, or worse, someone he couldn't be silent with. Naruto made him feel like he was the most beautiful thing in the world. He made him feel loved; not the love people knew filled with 'I love you' and kisses. But the love that people doubted. The love that was almost like a fairytale; almost like a dream; the love that was a legendary myth. The kind that made you feel dead while completely and utterly alive. The love that scared you because all it did was make you feel human.

Naruto smiled big and bright, a smile only for Sasuke Namikaze before he bent to kiss the man right on his mouth. Then his nose. Sasuke giggled and nearly toppled the other as he hugged him. Hugged him like a flood; fast, abrupt, and engulfing. Naruto laughed softly, regaining the air that Sasuke just stole. He rubbed the pale man's back. "You alright?"

"Yeah," Sasuke mumbled in a daze. "I really do love you, you know that? Even when you make me mad and even when you act stupid. I love you."

"I know."

"I do. I love you with every part of my soul and I could never leave you. No matter what happens. I just...I want you to know that. Even when it gets hard, I love you."

"I know, Sasuke."

Sasuke blinked away tears that had no right to come. This was the love. The love that made you feel so human you could taste your salty tears before they arrived; feel your heart beat violently against your chest; see both the physical and spiritual world; smell the life inside you; and hear the bell in heaven ring. This was the love that gave you stronger senses. Senses that made you hurt sometimes for no reason. "You swear?"

"I swear." Naruto placed his chin on top of the raven's dark hair. "I swear I know. If I know nothing else, I know you love me. But you gotta promise me something?"

"Anything."

"Promise me that anytime you think of yourself wrongly; Anytime your identity hurts you, you gotta promise me that you'll think about how much I love you. If it hurts to look at yourself, please remember that I love you."

Sasuke moved back, hearing Naruto's voice crack a bit. He stared astonished at Ōmo for a while, the man who never really cries. "I promise."

"I'm serious. When you're scared about who you are because you're an intersex; when you think about Ino pushing you down the stairs and almost losing your life; when you're afraid that you aren't enough for Saku because you never raised a kid." He sighed. "Even when you look at your body and notice the stretch marks. Please, Sasuke. All I want is you to promise that you'll remember. Remember how much I love every little thing about you. It's your identity and there's nothing more important than that. As cheesy as it sounds, I am undeniably in love with Sasuke Uchiha. And I've never felt this way about anyone, okay?"

"Okay."

Naruto smiled. "You better. Do you know how much I've cried for you? I haven't even cried this much for my family."

Sasuke smirked. "I must be special." He leaned up until his torso was on Naruto's crouched thighs, his pale elbows holding his head high. The raven blushed, however, when Naruto replied with ferocity "damn right you are" because he was joking, but Naruto was serious.

Yup. That was love.

The blond stood and helped his husband up, hugging him for a long time again. Holding him as if Sasuke would disappear.

"I'm going to head out now, but I'll be back alright?"

Sasuke nodded. "Call and tell me how she's doing?"

"I will."

* * *

Naruto looked down at the sad dog as she lay on the living room floor. He smiled softly. "It's okay, Queen. You ready?"

The dog stood, wobbled, stumbled, lay back down, and then stood again. Naruto laughed softly at her diligence to look and feel strong. Bending down, the man used both arms to pick up the 90-pound dog. "I got you," He murmured, kissing her head softly. They, these dogs, had come and made a mark on his life, sacrificing themselves for Sasuke's safety and entertaining Saku. "Let's go get that eye checked out."

Joō barked happily, understanding him well. And just as he opened the door, he froze, nearly turning his head in confusion at Reo, who stood smiling.

Naruto sighed now relief and turned to the side so that he could have a good angle of kissing his grandfather in law's forehead. "Good morning, Oji."

The old man smiled. "Good morning, Naruto. You're up early?"

"Joō had an accident. I was going to take her to her doctor to get her checked out."

When Reo examined the Dobermann, the nasty scar printed on her face was obvious. Oji's face fell in concern. "Is she going to be alright?"

Naruto smirked. These dogs were raised and trained by him. They were tougher than most and they'd never hurt themselves too badly. "Of course, Oji. She's a queen after all."

The man smiled and came into the house. "Well then, she's in good hands. I'll see you when I get back."

Naruto smiled softly at the old man. He was sweet, always had been to everyone. Oji never deserved what he got during the bombing. He didn't deserve to lose his family or the life he had in him. He didn't deserve to hate himself for what it made him.

It was hard to think about. Hard to accept when Oji accepted it so easily. So he smiled because it was the only option.

* * *

"How've you been?" Sasuke murmured, trying to make conversation with his best friend. He carefully watched Neji's reaction when the man shifted. Uncomfortably, awkwardly? Maybe Sasuke was seeing things.

"Well."

The Namikaze resisted the urge to cough as he took Saku's food over to his high chair. The baby took the applesauce with delight, dipping his fist in it quickly.

"Hey," Sasuke feigned a grumble. Saku's fist stopped mid-air from throwing the food as he looked at Sasuke, his brown eyes wide with confusion. "Eat it, boy."

Saku giggled, hyper and loud as if being told to consume food instead of launching it was the funniest thing in the world. However, his tiny pale fist did return to his mouth and his eyes became delighted once more.

"Is it good," Sasuke cooed. He couldn't help himself. He loved his baby so much. "Is it good, little man?"

Saku smiled at the attention and continued to eat more applesauce for more praise.

Sasuke stood fully and clapped softly. "Good."

"Is that why you're still with him?"

The question made Sasuke feel contained like he couldn't move his limbs correctly. Turning in a stiff manner, he stared at Neji as Neji started right back. "Hn?"

Neji looked at Saku, who had forgotten about the attention and was now eating quietly. He was, admittedly a handsome baby, showing characteristics of both his mother and father. And he reminded Neji so much of Sasuke. It made him wonder….was Naruto even a good father to the kid? Is he ever around the kid?

"Saku. Is Saku the reason you stayed with Naruto?"

Sasuke looked at his unaware son and moved to the sink to start breakfast. How could he even answer that question without coming off as offensive? "No. Saku's not a reason. But he's a result of the reason I stayed."

"A result?"

"Yeah. When you love someone, you want to spend the rest of your life with them," Sasuke smiled softly now that his smile was away from lingering eyes. "You want to start a family with them. Saku is entirely made out of love."

"You _love_ him?"

Sasuke turned around, now offended by that question. What did it mean? Why was it a surprise to love Naruto? "Of course I love him."

"Why, Sas?" Neji murmured concerned. "How can you love someone that does nothing but put you in harm's way. From going to prison to getting pushed down the stairs by a woman that wanted revenge on him, I don't understand. Is that okay, Sasuke? Is that a good enough reason for me to not understand?"

Sasuke sighed. "Of course it is, but the things in this world aren't going to stop me from loving him, not even Naruto himself. I chose to be with him knowing full well the consequences of being close to Ōmo."

"Back at the University, I hear things, Sas. People are calling you psycho and…"

"And what?"

"You just never gave me the signs that you wanted a life like this. All the guys you dated when we were younger, they were rich preppy boys. They weren't on the wrong side of the law. So it confuses me, why _him_ so suddenly?"

It was a good question that deserved a good answer. Sasuke owed Neji that much. The man was his best friend and he'd be in his life for a long time.

"That's true. The guys I dated weren't on the wrong side of the law." He smirked, looking back to the breakfast he was preparing. "Hell, you sure weren't. When I met Naruto, something changed. No, that isn't the way to put it. I didn't change. I think something came forward, a part of me that wanted Naruto. The dangerous side of him."

He smiled a little, thinking about Naruto's words years prior. _Who was stupid enough to let you go?_

"I liked the way he lived his life and the people he helped. I loved the way he handled me like a king. Keep in mind that none of my boyfriends did that. I was nothing more than sex to them."

"Not to me," Neji whispered.

Sasuke ignored it. "It's not hard for me to explain what I love about him. His appearance isn't the most important thing, but it's definitely a bonus," he giggled softly. "I don't want to gross you out since we're about to eat, but I will say that under the usual suit, Naruto isn't Naruto. He's Ōmo."

' _Take off everything…' Sasuke whispered, returning Naruto's gaze with the same intensity and only letting it wander down his naked chest and along the trail of corse blond hair when he knew the briefs were gone, too._

He could never be disappointed with Naruto. The blond stood in his glory and moved to the bed where he sat and Sasuke watched him the entire way, imagining the things they could do.

" _C'mere," the other's voice pulled him from his thoughts and he looked back at him, unhurriedly standing up from the floor and crossing the distance between them with two small steps._

 _Hardly had he stopped in front of Naruto when he was spun around, back pressed against Naruto's firm chest and his ass against a growing erection_.

"Yeah," he murmured. "Definitely Ōmo. He's a handsome man too. I mean, he isn't beautiful like I am." And leave it to Sasuke himself to realize how beautiful he really is when appearance is involved. He was arrogant to a point that the trait was attractive to both Neji and Naruto. "Naruto is handsome. He's a man. Every part of him screams man, but it's really in his eyes and jaw and serious brows. It's all in there. And a man can handle you well." The last part was whispered, not intended for Neji's ears. "On top of that, Naruto's courageous, selfless, and powerful."

"Powerful because he's hurt people and been to jail a few times?"

It wasn't a question if Naruto had ever been to jail. He went to jail a few times during his life, none of them being very major. The first was petty theft at the age of 16, the second was aggravated assault when he was 17, and when he was 18 for grand theft. Small sentences or not, jail was jail. But Sasuke didn't care. He didn't judge Naruto on anything and he was glad he didn't. He ended up marrying the fool and he'd do it again.

"That might be true, but don't say it like that, Neji. You're talking about a man that is now part of me. It offends me too. Besides, I realized, when I met him, that I like them when they've been in and out of jail. I realized that I didn't want a punk."

 _All this time, Sas, you've been giving your prettiness to punks. I'll treat you like a king if you give it to me._

And true to his word, he did. "I didn't want to marry some rich man I met in one of my courses. As crazy as it sounds, I wanted a soldier. I wanted a man that was street smart and completely unlike me. I wanted a man that was ready to take the prep out of me and show me the streets. I wanted Naruto and I always will. Besides, the fact that he has few bodies under his belt turns me on."

Naruto was big and strong, not only mentally, but…. _Jesus, fuck…._ physically too. Just the thought of everything that man could do to him turned him on. Naruto was the embodiment of power. Naruto was a King.

He smiled softly, going to the cupboards and pulling out plates for them. He turned to smile at the babbling baby at the table, who was saying nothing and absolutely everything all at once. "Saku is a result of our love." _And an absolute result of what Naruto does to me._ "So yeah, I stay because I'd never have a love like this, but my little boo is part of that."

Saku flung his hand out of his bowl and sat in surprise when the food flew on him. Yeah, that boy was theirs.

"What about me?"

Neji had come over, which Sasuke should have been aware of. He jumped slightly however as Neji stared in desperation. "What?"

"I love you, Sas. Can't you see that?" Neji reached his hand out, assuming to gently stroke Sasuke's cheek when the Namikaze pushed him away.

"Neji," he hissed. "I am _married._ You should respect boundaries."

Koshaku, who had been watching silently in the corner, began barking loudly and growling at Neji the moment Sasuke became dangerous. The dog was ready to maul the Hyūga if need be.

Neji blinked in surprise before regaining himself. The Hyūga stared at his friend before glaring softly. "How could you let Naruto get between us?"

"When I met Naruto, we had nothing going on."

"But we loved each other," Neji defended.

" _You_ loved _me._ I fell in love with Naruto and no one else can give me what he offers. Neji, you of all people know that."

"Sasuke," Neji said in desperation; said with a tone as if he were talking to a child. "A woman tried to kill you because of him. You went to prison for him."

Sasuke's eyes brimmed with tears. It was as if he and Saku shared the same emotions because he could see the baby's lips quivering albeit he was unaware of the situation at hand. "And it was also because of him that I started loving who I was despite being an Intersex. Because of him that I'm independent to strive for my goals. Because of him that I'm living lavishly. Because of him, Oji loves himself despite the bombing. I made it here! I took the journey by myself and paid for the ticket, but let me tell you something, Neji Hyūga, it costs too much! And I don't want you to ruin what he and I have."

 _Don't you cry when you're down, Sasuke._

The man blinked quickly, reducing his tears to nothing as he turned away from Neji. "Please sit so that we can eat."

When Neji turned away, Koshaku backed up, but he didn't lay down again. He watched Neji like a hawk, his paw lifted into the air if he needed to move forward.

"Kneel, Duke." The dog listened to Sasuke.

Neji complied without a word, almost sulking when Reo walked in. Sasuke smiled, the tension within him almost lifting itself. He moved his grandfather and kissed his cheek with tenderness. "Good morning, Oji. How are you?"

Oji messed up his hair as if he were still a child, but the raven smiled anyway. "I'm good. I saw Naruto on his way out. He loves those dogs as if they were Saku's siblings. I've never seen a man gloat about his dogs the way he does."

And that was true. Sasuke just smiled. He'd bet on his life that Naruto said something about Joō being a Queen.

Oji noticed Neji sitting at the table. "Oh, Neji. I didn't realize it was you. How are you? How's your father?"

And as they spoke, Sasuke watched and he imagined. He tried to put it in his mind that in this kitchen was his family. There was Oji, Neji was his husband, and Saku was their child. And then he grimaced. It didn't even feel right to think about that. Saku was all Naruto's and Naruto had engraved himself on Oji's heart better than Neji had ever. And Sasuke belonged to Naruto as much as the blond belonged too him.

" _You don't have to kiss me there if you don't want to," he said, staring at the ceiling. Naruto only huffed and continued, brushing his nose over the leathery, scarred parts._

" _Do you want me to kiss you there?" Ōmo asked, briefly pausing, waiting for an answer and permission to continue._

" _I don't want you to kiss me anywhere simply because you think you have to in order to not hurt my feelings," Sasuke replied, suddenly sounding a bit agitated. It seemed the topic was a sore point and the blond had a notion why._

" _Sasuke... I love you," he whispered. "Every part of you." moving back up, the man put his arms on either side of Sasuke's head._

 _The younger man immediately wrapped his legs around his lover's waist and pulled him down to capture his lips, engaging him in another passionate kiss._

* * *

 _Nagato Namikaze Household_

 _Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan_

 _April 25, 2005_

 _Midday_

Nagato lived in a luxury home. It wasn't one of the largest homes in Tokyo, outranking most of the officials. However, it needed to be examined and studied for the purpose of adoption.

A home study was required for every type of adoption and would be an in-depth look into Nagato's life to ensure that he was fit to become a parent. His home study social worker helped collect any criminal background checks, financial and medical information, conducted interviews with him and issued a home inspection.

It was tough, Nagato believed. The home inspection would be the toughest part of the adoption process. Not that Nagato had a criminal record, but because his family would be inspected.

His family. Karin, a prime suspect in the murder if Fey Tadashi. Naruto, who was the leader of a ruthless cartel and an illegal drug trafficker. Minato, who just got out of prison with a charge of murder. Misaji, who the public knew as an enforcing executioner. Madoka, who sat back quietly although he was being watched for the murder and disappearance of Genma Shiranui. And his cousin in law, Sasuke, who was arrested last year on drug charges. His family.

 _Fuck_. Everything else was easy. But dammit, why did Nagato have to be the only sane one?

"What's wrong?"

He looked away from his letter toward the little boy who had come into his life and made this big mess. Yahiko stood by the door, his small six-year-old body not making an impact on anything in its path. He looked frightened, not of Nagato, but of his worry.

Nagato smiled a little. "Nothing much. Just a lot of adult things that I have to deal with. Which reminds me, don't get older, alright? It may look fun, but it isn't."

Yahiko smiled and Nagato sighed in relief. "You silly, everybody gets old."

"Really?" Nagato murmured. Yahiko came into the kitchen fully and climbed into the tall chair so that he could look at Nagato.

"Yeah. And when you get really big, you get wrinkly and grey. And your teeth start to fall off."

"No," Nagato feigned surprise as well as fear.

"Yeah," the boy muttered, wise beyond his years. "How old are you again?"

"Twenty-six."

"Okay. Then you have four years before your teeth fall out."

And he's so serious that Nagato can't help but laugh heartily. Yahiko decides that he likes Nagato best when he's smiling and laughing and not worrying about the papers he reads.

"How long until I can live in this big house forever?"

"It's not a house, silly," Nagato sighs, staring at the letter once more. "It's a mansion."

Yahiko looks around the kitchen as if he is examining it, but really he's examining his choice of words. It's weird that he's known the boy for three months, but already knows this about him.

"How long until I can live here forever?"

"One more month."

"Oh. How many days is that?"

"31"

Yahiko's mouth opens. "And weeks?"

"Four."

"Okay. And then I get to stay with you forever."

"Yup." The kid sure did talk a lot, something he didn't share with Naruto when the man was younger. However, everything else was purely Naruto. And Nagato didn't mind a bit.

Yahiko sighed, resting his head on his small hands. "How come it's taking so long?"

"What?"

"Me living with you."

"My family has to be looked at. They're dangerous." _Like me,_ he added silently.

"Ōmo?"

"Not just him."

"Oh…" the boy sat quietly for a while as he seeing his legs. Nagato waited for the question he knew was coming. "Are you dangerous?"

And without hesitation, he answered "absolutely."

Yahiko smiled and put his knees up to his chest. "Aren't they my family too now?"

"Yeah. Which is why starting today, no more calling him Ōmo. It'll be cousin Naruto."

"I thought it would be uncle. Since you're going to be my dad." The declaration makes Nagato freeze in doing nothing. How could a six-year-old ever comprehend what Nagato would be to him? How was he okay with that?

Getting over his initial shock, the man frowned. "Naruto isn't my brother. He's my younger cousin." Then he thinks about it. They were raised almost as siblings and he acted as an older brother to Karin and Naruto. "But Uncle Naruto doesn't sound too bad."

Yahiko smiled big before getting up and trying to climb into Nagato's lap instead of a chair. Nagato watched the boy struggle before finally giving in and helping him up. Yahiko smiled at him and shifted in the man's lap. "So when I live here, you'll be my daddy forever?"

Nagato sighed. "Whatever you want me to be, kid."

"My dad," the murmured softly. "I don't remember much of my real parents."

"You're annoying." Nagato finally stated.

And the way Yahiko smiled knowingly melted his heart. "Yeah. But not to you right? You like when I'm here."

Nagato messed up his hair a bit. "That's true. Tell me something about today."

Yahiko smiled even wider. "Today's April 25, so the English convention parliament met and voted to restore Charles the second in 1660."

Nagato smiled. "And what else?"

"In 1846, the Thornton affair occurred. And it started the Mexican-American war."

Nagato smiled proudly. "I see you've been reading about other people's history and not just your own."

"

Yahiko blushed. "And the Hubble space telescope was placed into orbit today in 1990."

"And what happened today in this country?"

Before Yahiko could say another word, a heavy knock on the front door interrupted them. Yahiko's mouth opened and he jumped up before Nagato could grab him. "I wonder who that is." The boy yelled.

Nagato stood too, following him. "Yahiko, don't open the door."

But it was too late. Yahiko opened the door and stood there to stare up at the man who stood staring down with a raised poised brow.

"Who are you?" Naruto asked with no emotion, his hands tightening on Joō's collar.

Nagato sighed in relief, but then glared. "Yahiko, do you know how dangerous that was? If that wasn't Naruto-"

He stopped. The boy wasn't even listening. He was staring up at Naruto as if the man were God himself.

Naruto blinked at the name. "Yahiko? Oh, this must be the boy you're adopting." He crouched to Yahiko. "I'm Naruto."

Yahiko smiled nervously, probably trying to regain composure. "I know."

"I've heard about you. Nagato told me that you were trying to be a hit man." He looked up, his eyes stopping at Nagato's nodding head. "That job is dangerous you know."

"Yeah."

"Being a hitman for Ōmo is very dangerous. Not only do you have to watch out for enemies of the cartel and authorities, you also have to watch out for me."

"For you?" Yahiko seemed confused.

"Yeah. There's a reason there's a hitmen school. I need replacements. Sometimes my hitmen leave. Sometimes, I murder them if they aren't useful." Yahiko looked afraid now, his eyes going from Nagato to Naruto. And he should have been. Being a hitman and training to kill someone was a dangerous thing. "So do you want to be a hitman? Are you willing to risk your life?"

"No," Yahiko answered honestly. Today in history, April 25, is the day Yahiko meets Naruto Namikaze for the first time in 2005. And the man is as dangerous as the rumors about him.

"Good." Naruto stood fully. He lifted a foot and he watched Yahiko move to the side unconsciously. Joō was the first to move into the house. And instantly, Yahiko was almost forgotten as he ran to hide behind Bullet's leg.

"The world is a dangerous place and it's only fitting to play the part."

"I'm only six." Yahiko felt the need to defend himself with the claim. Although, he'd heard about Ōmo and the things the man had done as just a child too.

"Only a number," Naruto countered. He sat on the couch with a sigh and he watched with an impassive face his dog kneel by his leg before lifting her and laying her on his lap. "I was eleven when I first killed someone. And do you know what I was?"

"Ōmo," Yahiko whispers back. The mood and the tense have shorted and he feels awkward when Nagato smiles softly, leaning against the wall.

Naruto isn't subtle. He snorts before sighing. "Scared," he corrects. "I was scared, but I became a man."

Yahiko is thinking about those words and Naruto doesn't like it at all. He turns to his older cousin. "He's too much like me when I was younger. Make him tough, but don't make him a monster."

"Noted," Nagato murmurs, seeing Yahiko's hair shift blond and his eyes shift blue as well.

* * *

 _Mohammed Household_

 _Tokyo, Japan_

 _April 25, 2005_

 _1:00 PM_

He curses softly, dialing the number again and waiting for a response. And again, he's hit with a dead line.

It's the ninth time Bolade calls Rock Lee and the ninth time the Japanese man doesn't answer. He's been calling since yesterday to make sure the man got out of Russia safely with the police force, but Mush isn't answering. Bolade wants to worry himself, but he can't remember the last time Mush didn't answer his phone.

The man smiles softly at a memory of when Rock Lee and Naruto were both seventeen. He remembers Rock Lee lost his fifth phone after telling Naruto that he handled a body. And he remembers Naruto forbidding the man from buying any more for the next month.

"Didn't answa again?" B looks toward the door where his wife is standing by the door with two glasses of lemonade. It's only when Bolade looks away that she walks in fully. She's afraid of him and Bolade knows this and it makes him hate himself even more.

"No," he murmurs. "I'm thinking about calling the policeman I sent in. Shino."

Sha sits down, her brows cursed downward in a sharp line and Bolade remembers why he fell in love with her. And how. And then he remembers how much he changed. And that stings. "can we twozt im?"

Bolade thinks about the word. Trust is stupid, he believes. Just three months ago, he was searching for Sha, who had run away from him because she didn't trust him. Why have a change of heart? Because he hadn't hurt her in the three months that she came back? Because she knew Naruto would kill her if she'd done something to him. It was already found out that Sha was the shooter, but why stay here?

He smiles a bit and he wonders if Sha knows when he gives off that smile, he's about to mention someone dear to him. She should know. It used to be for her. "If Naruto trusts him, then hell yeah. Once Naruto stops trusting him, I know where I stand."

Sha hands him a glass and sips her own, thinking about those words. "Do you think Nawuto twozts me still?" B sips the drink. He doesn't know if it's poisoned. He doesn't care; he wishes it was.

The question is a good one. Despite B being an asshole, he never once thought about fooling Naruto. But what Sha doesn't know is that Naruto can't help but to trust her. Sha has been beaten and abused by a man she knew Naruto loved more than he loved her. The only way to kill B right was to kill Naruto's good thoughts about him too. The only problem was Naruto knew B. Naruto knew B more than Sha knew B. He knows Bolade has one hell of a temper and one hell of a fist, but he knows Bolade would never pull a gun out on his friends.

"Yeah," he ends up muttering. "It's hard for Naruto not to trust someone he loves dearly. All you need to do is talk to him. Let him understand where you're coming from."

"You mean…"

Bolade nods, cutting her off. "I mean about the way I treated you, Sha." He stops to gather his words, thinking about telling Sha about his past as Sasuke wanted. But it's harder. When he told Naruto, it's because he and the boy understood one another. Still did. But could he even remember those memories? The man stood, not missing the way Sha tensed in her seat as if string held her down.

He moved to the dresser and opened it, pulling out a few sheets of paper. When he sat them before Sha, the woman's eyes widened and she stared at him, waiting for him to laugh as if it were one big joke.

"I know you want this, Sha. And I want to be the first to hand it over."

 _Bolade doesn't want to wonder about his childhood. But it has a way of showing up when he doesn't want it to._

 _He watched her sit on the couch, the extension cord from his room in her hands._

 _You ain't never gonna be more than what you are. Looking just like your sorry ass daddy. Don't cry, bitch. Act like a man._

 _Bolade blinks rapidly. God, she was horrible. She made him horrible. B didn't deserve Sha. After all he'd done._

 _Sasuke is a happy man. Bolade wants to study this. He wants to know so that he can prepare himself. All he really wants to know is how other people are making it through life—where do they put their body, hour by hour, and how do they cope inside of it?_

"I hurt you, Sha. I hurt you so bad and I know that that can never be forgotten. I wasn't always the best man. I was raised by my single mother along with my two younger siblings. Mom, she was better than me. Stronger, tougher. Son a bitch couldn't even get out of the poverty herself, but he was still Queen and I was…" Bolade stopped and squeezed his left hand with his right. He held it that way long enough for it and the world to quiet down and let him go.

"She was allowed to be and stay what she was. But I wasn't allowed to be and stay what I was. Even if you killed her, you'd be killing a woman named Beatrice. But there was no way I'd ever be Bolade again, living or dead. Mom changed me. I was something else."

Sha looked concerned then.

"It's hard to explain and speak about. I just know that my past can't be used as an excuse, no matter how hard it was. I just know that I'm going to give you freedom. And I'm sorry. Allah knows I'm so sorry, Sha, and I pray to him I didn't change you."

"Bolade," Se finally spoke. "I don't unda'stand." And those were the first words she could speak. B wondered if it were the right reaction. After finally getting what she wanted, she seemed confused about it. As if it weren't real.

"You don't have to," he murmured in return. "All I want is for you to be happy. I…" This was harder than he anticipated. "I know about the affair. Between you and Shikamaru." He watched her eyes widen, he feet shuffle, and her mouth open. The man held up his hand. "Sha, please. I don't care about that. If being with Shikamaru's helped you in some way, by all means, I don't care about the affair. It's not even half of the things I've done. Sha, please. I'm begging you."

"Bolade." She kept repeating as if it were profound.

"I want you to leave and be happy. I want nothing from you. You can have everything because you deserve it."

"B…"

He stood and walked away, stopping by the door. "Sha, I put you through so much. There's nothing to think about."

* * *

 _Japanese Physical Therapy Association_

 _3-8-5 Sendagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo_

 _April 25, 2005_

 _2:00 PM_

"I just don't understand why I can't have a bath. I haven't bathed in months." Shikamaru growled, glaring at the foul-mouthed therapist before him.

The grey-haired man grimaced and crossed his arms. Shikamaru hated him. This man had no regard for his well being, despite Naruto telling him to treat Shikamaru Nara with care…. _or else._ He had the most disgusting form of words that a human could think of, even worse than Karin's. He had no regard for safety or health, and Shikamaru wondered every day how this man became a physical therapist. Once he was out of here and healed, he'd kill this man, no matter what. Shikamaru couldn't believe him. This man, Hidan, was the lowest of scum he'd ever met. "I told you, dumbass, soaking a wound like that can cause it to reopen. Be a fucking idiot if you want, but the last thing I want is Namikaze coming after me because his stupid friend didn't follow my orders."

Shikamaru's nostrils flared and he balled his fists in anger. Never in his life had someone infuriated him this much. No one could get a rise out of him, but this foul-mouthed bastard. "Do you have any idea who I am? What kind of deathwish do you have?"

"You think I don't fucking know what I got myself into?" The man cried in exasperation. "Trust me, I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to. But everyone else here is so damn scared of the Namikaze, they didn't want anything to do with you."

The Nara subtled at the other's response. To think that just being close to Naruto Namikaze had the power to give Shikamaru this kind of treatment. He glared hard at Hidan. "I don't care. I don't care if they quit just because I'm being treated here. Naruto's my brother and I'll follow him-"

Hidan raised a hand. "Hey, are you getting in the fucking bath or not? I didn't come here so you could preach about your boyfriend. Besides, there's only one true God that should be worshipped and that's the father, the son, and the holy spirit."

Shikamaru never met anyone that willingly went against the cartel and lived. This Romanian bastard had just defied Naruto's rule. "If you don't watch your tongue, it'll disappear on you. You have no idea that mere words can kill you, do you?"

Hidan surrounded by putting both hands up. "Hey, calm down, cutie." There he went again calling Shikamaru something like he was a goddamned female. He'd been doing it ever since they met and Shikamaru knew the man was only trying to get a rise out of him. Besides, this man screamed catholicism. Shikamaru knew they had something against homosexuality. "I'm not saying anything by it. It's not that I'm going against the cartel, I just worship God, you know."

"If you worship God, stop calling me cute, you son of a bitch." He ignored Hidan's smirk and soft 'you're feisty' and continued. "You're doing it to make me angry." It was so troublesome because it was working. "You all have the same view about gay people. And besides, I'm not gay."

Hidan laughed loud and rudely. "Fucking dumbass Nara," He muttered. "But, yeah, I know what you mean. And two shall become one. Yeah, that stuff; one man and one woman are united under God in the holy sacrament of Matrimony. In Heaven, marriage does not exist, except for Marriage between God and the soul." Hidan laughed again. "I ain't _that_ religious."

Shikamaru's dark eyes trailed to the cross hanging from Hidan's chest. It was black with the image of who could only be Jesus Christ engraved upon it. And then they traveled to the tattoo on Hidan's obviously toned forearm.

 _Therefore, I urge you, Brothers and Sisters, in view of God's Mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God- this is your true and proper worship. - Romans 12:1_

Not that religious. Had the situation of his pride not been so dire, Shikamaru would have laughed. Not that religious, his ass.

Hidan stepped forward, and Shikamaru balled his fist. "Besides. Being as good looking as we both are - and yes, I have every right to be conceited - religion doesn't matter right now. You're cute. I'm fucking gorgeous. So I know, once that wound is healed, the sex is going to be...hm, what's the right word, _heavenly._ "

Shikamaru stood there staring at the man for a long while, trying to rethink the words and decipher the arrogant smirk Hidan was giving to him. As much as it sucked, Hidan was the kind of person the Namikaze cartel needed. But the Nara blinked thrice. _Sex?_ He growled when his fist connected with Hidan's face and the man fell to the floor clutching it. "You Romanian piece of shit. What do you think I am? A woman?"

Hidan sat up and rubbed his face a good few times before smirking ferally. "Damn. If you wanted to top, you cou-"

"That's not what I meant!" Shikamaru screamed. "I don't care if you assist in healing me. I promise you, when I get out of here, I'm going to kill you."

Hidan took a moment and mulled over those words. "Fine, do whatever the hell you want. Kill me for all I care. At least I'll die a saved man. But while you're here, you're going to let go of that pride of yours and take a damn shower to clean that wound. Got it?"

Shikamaru stepped back a bit, his eyes wide. He couldn't remember the last time someone talked to him like he was a child. But he couldn't deny that he had to clean his wound. And maybe Hidan was right about it reopening if he got into the water fully. The Nara crossed his arms. This man kind of deserved some kind of respect, despite his idiocy, foul-mouthedness, and insanity.

Hidan stood. His purple eyes skimmed the medium length of Shikamaru's dark hair without the restraint of the ponytail holder. And then they went down to his apparel and appearance. Since he had arrived, the Nara had not worn a shirt over the bandages of his wound. He was skinny, kind of toned, and pale. Fit for a hitman or a man looking to get away. "Besides, you're too fucking good looking to get angry."

Shikamaru sighed and turned away. "I'm not interested in men, okay? So stop complimenting me."

Hidan laughed. "Are you sure? Your face is red as shit and you're getting really offended." The man sighed after calming down. "Nevermind your confusion. Go on take off your clothes so I can help you into the shower."

Shikamaru tensed and turned with narrow eyes. "I want a therapist that isn't a pervert." He couldn't. He _wouldn't_ undress in front of this disgusting man. Not even if Naruto told him to cooperate so that he could get better. "I'm not undressing in front of you."

Hidan smirked and closed his eyes. But it wasn't for Shikamaru, he could tell. He closed his eyes and began to undress from his uniform. "If you're shy, I can show you my sexy body."

"Stop!" Shikamaru raised a hand as soon as he spotted Hidan's lower belly. "And stop twisting my words. I want a therapist that isn't going to look at me."

Hidan feigned shock and hurt from those words. "I'm a man of God."

"Yeah," Shikamaru hissed. He was tired and annoyed and he just wanted to go to sleep. All this fussing was making the skin around his puncture hurt so badly. No way was he going to beg this guy, but if he just talked to him in a way that would make even….

"Look," he murmured. "I want to sleep and rest this hurting wound, and in order to do that, I need to shower." Hidan's head turned as the sudden sadness and sweetness of the feisty Nara's voice. "Can I please get a little privacy?"

Hidan sighed after a while. He crossed his arms and turned around. "Fine. You can go in there and shower on your own. If I here you fall or something, I'm coming in no matter what. And I'm only doing it cause you're so fucking cute. It's like, it's like you're an angel that God him fucking self sent, so I guess you can go ahead."

Shikamaru ignored the last comment and turned away from the therapist with a smile. "Who knew you had a heart, Romanian?"

"Whatever."

Shikamaru laughed silently as he stepped into the bathroom and closed the door behind him. Some privacy meant that he could think about his friends. He hadn't seen Sha since the accident, and the man wasn't sure if he wanted to see her.

He loved Sha, dearly, with all his heart. But was there such a thing as falling out of love with someone? No doubt, she would always be dear to him, but almost dying made Shikamaru Nara realize exactly what he had to live for. What he had been living for most of his life. He didn't survive being shot just to save Sha and Bolade from Naruto's wrath. He survived to stay with his friend. There was nothing more important to him than Naruto, his best friend. Like a first mate to his captain, Shikamaru would choose to follow Naruto anywhere. Sha's plan had been scandalous, but never would she be as horrible as Naruto. But Shikamaru always sided with the devil he knew. He decided in the hospital that he would let go of Sha. Not only for Naruto but for him too. He had fallen out of love.

Bolade visited once a week, wishing for him to get better every time and Shikamaru accepted that. Naruto visited every two days and would be here today as well. Sometimes, he visited with Sasuke and Saku, but today Shikamaru felt Naruto would visit by himself. He just...he knew his friend was all. He knew everything about Naruto, even his thoughts, which was something that wouldn't ever change.

The man sighed and reached to grab the soap. When he realized it wasn't there, the man sighed. If there was no soap in here, he'd have to call that damn Catholic in to get him some. Shikamaru opened the shower curtain slightly, sighing in relief when he spotted the gel on the sink. He looked down; he didn't want to get out. Maybe if he reached for it.

Shikamaru Nara was an unmeasurable genius with an IQ of 220, but sometimes common sense was a thing he never learned of. He blamed it on being Naruto Namikaze's friend for nineteen years, two weeks; and four days. So when he went to reach for the soap, his foot slipped. The man covered his eyes, readying himself for the fall. He had taken hits worse than this.

However, no pain came. No sound. No crash. The Nara opened his eyes, and they went to the pressure around his wrist. To the hand holding him steady. Shikamaru turned, finding Hidan standing outside the shower. He yelped in disgust and pushed away.

"Calm the fuck down! You're going to slip and my charming efforts would be for nothing."

"You said you'd give me privacy!" Shikamaru snarled, still struggling to get out of Hidan's grasp.

Hidan sighed as if Shikamaru were being too simple for his taste. "Call me a messenger of God or something, but I just knew something bad would happen. And I was right. Good thing I came on time. Unless you would have broken your neck, fucking dumbass."

Shikamaru yanked his arm away. "I'm fine now," he hissed. "You can go."

"After what I've just seen, I ain't fucking leaving until you're done scrubbing. Dick and all." Shikamaru sneered at the man's foul language, but his entire body grew hot. "So hurry up."

"I'm not washing with you in here, you damn Romanian pervert!"

Hidan growled, his fists balling. "Can't you see I'm trying to keep you safe you damned Japanese idiot!"

"I'm not an idiot! I'm smarter than you!"

"Well fuck you! You don't have enough intelligence to understand I just saved your life!"

"I don't care if you saved my life! I'm taking yours anyway!"

"You ungrateful little shit!"

"Fuck you, Hida-"

The next moment, once Shikamaru Nara remembers in a few years time, was so cliche, Shikamaru wanted to do nothing but puke. But if he puked, he'd have done it in Hidan's mouth. The man had cut him off like some dumb ass cliche movie. Grabbing his shoulders and using them to lean into the shower and kissing Shikamaru like they were in love or something. God, it was so cliche. Almost like kissing in the rain.

And despite hating his guts, Shikamaru kissed back. Because maybe he was confused and he wanted to ask God why had it taken until he was 21 to realize that. Maybe there had been sexual tension since he arrived between him and this son of a bitch. And maybe Naruto wasn't the only reason Shikamaru wanted to be only Sha's friend. Maybe it was curiosity, confusion, and fear.

Upon seeing that Shikamaru had yet to push the man away, Hidan moved back to remove his uniform, hastily; quickly. He climbed into the shower and pushed Shikamaru back into the wall, nearly knocking the wind of out of him. "You stubborn fucking pussy," he hissed.

"Fuck you," Shikamaru hissed back, his brain coming up with only that remark as Hidan grinded so suddenly against him.

"No. I want to fuck you."

And the Nara was surprised himself when he muttered "okay."

Hidan stopped kissing him, but it was obvious that his lower half had a mind of its own, still racking against Shikamaru, letting their dicks rub against one another for four seconds, moving away, and then four seconds once more. It made Shikamaru feel crazy. Never had he felt like this with a girl. Or course Sha had made his body do crazy things, but he supposed it was different with men. "You sure? Just a minute ago, you hated me."

Shikamaru growled when the man came closer to bite his neck harshly. "Whatever. I still do." But damn, he hadn't sex in a while, so the temptation was strong. His face grew heated when Hidan smirked down at him.

"Good." Hidan came back to kiss him, more and surprisingly passionately. It made Shikamaru feel stupid. As if all the hate was only coming from Shikamaru. As if Hidan was just playing along. He grinded against Shikamaru again, both their penises now half hardened. The sheer movement was making them both tired and Hidan stopped just to rest his face in the crook of Shikamaru's neck like they were in love.

Love had nothing to do with sex. And Shikamaru believed it. Love wasn't even real. He had loved Sha only a moment ago, but now he was about to be fucked by a man he despised. It made him wonder if the love was real, to begin with.

"I think you're beautiful, the only beautiful person I've ever seen. I love your voice and everything to do with you, down to your clothes or the room you're sitting in. I adore you." And Shikamaru felt like that was a lie. He only just met Hidan three months ago. Who could fall in love so fast? Besides Naruto and Sasuke?

When Hidan's rod entered far more easily in him than he thought, Shikamaru squirmed in slight discomfort. The Nara stretched his hole open, barring the pain, and trying not to look weak. The tip entered, he moved a little, half the phallus was plunged in; Shikamaru pressed down, lifted himself up, then came down again; after one or two strokes the whole penis was lodged within his body. When he was well impaled, Shikamaru he put his arms around Hidan's neck and hugged and kissed him. Because he felt like it.

"Fuck," Hidan hissed. "Why are you so tight?"

"I told you I've never been with a guy. I've never done this before so wait until I adjust."

Hidan lifted Shikamaru's leg higher until it rested on his shoulder. "Just try to relax. Hold on to me if you want."

"Stop saying stupid things." But Shikamaru listened. And when he squirmed again in impatience, Hidan pulled out fully, his odd purple eyes never leaving Shikamaru's, and pushed back in. The hitman bit his lip as Hidan began moving in and out of him. Shikamaru scowled softly and rested his hands on the wall behind him. He didn't want Hidan to think that….

"You can touch me, if you want," The therapist whispered as he put a hand on Shikamaru's back and rubbed up and down.

The other frowned slightly but reached his hand forward cautiously. And with it shaking he rested it on Hidan's toned chest. Hidan smiled in a way that Shikamaru had never seen and that made him feel so weird. "Can you touch me too?" he panted, trying to comprehend the feeling in his chest.

And Hidan complied. He ran his index finger over Shika's cock over and over as slow as he was thrusting. "When I told you the sex would be heavenly, I meant it." Hidan leaned closer, digging his nails in Shikamaru's thighs as he kissed his neck. The man came up slightly, biting his ear the way a man would hold onto a cliff. "I'm going to fuck you so good, you'll wish you realized you were gay sooner."

He pulled out and shoved upward with Shika's descent, each time, their bodies slapping together noisily. It made Shikamaru cry out, his voice echoing around the bathroom as Hidan's cock pushed all the way into his depths. He rode Hidan till he was heaving for breath, his skin glistening with sweat and muscles burning with their exertion. "Oh fuck."

Hidan fucks the way he speaks: foul; dirty; sinful; roughly edged. And Shikamaru responds the way they argue; loud and desperate to prove himself.

"Hidan!"

Hidan had come first, but he fucked Shikamaru until the man grew weary too. Shikamaru felt his body spasm slightly. "I'm going to cum," he warned.

Hidan stopped moving and put his face in the crook of the Nara's neck. "I don't care," he whispered. "Shoot on me."

And Shikamaru compiled, coming between their stomachs violently. Hidan had long since moved out of him, but he held Shikamaru up in the air until Shikamaru squirmed to get down. When Hidan let him down, the raven was too tired and lazy to even move, so they stood there in the shower, Shikamaru trapped with his hands at his sides, his dazy eyes at the ceiling and his neck arched up. Hidan had both arms on the side of his head, pressed tightly against the wall. His face rested in Shikamaru's neck as he pecked his lips.

"You gonna move?"

"Nuh uh," Hidan murmured, and Shikamaru felt a smile against his neck.

The man is a fucking maniac if Shikamaru has never seen one. Cursing is his first language; he worships God to a point of indulgence; he gives zero fucks about the people around him; he's too conceited for his own good, although Shikamaru will admit he is pretty hot; and he just fucked his patient in a place of work.

A maniac. Shikamaru hates that this guy belongs in the cartel.

* * *

 _Japanese Physical Therapy Association_

 _3-8-5 Sendagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo_

 _April 25, 2005_

 _3:20 PM_

When they emerged from the bathroom, fully dressed thankfully, Shikamaru felt stupid for forgetting that Naruto would be there. Hidan halted a bit upon seeing the dangerous man, showing what was really beneath his 'fuck Naruto's rule' facade. And Shikamaru was glad that it was a facade. Naruto was sitting on the couch without a care in the world, muttering quietly to and rubbing the chin of Joō.

She looked wounded if the patch on her eye was anything to go by. But she also looked happy from all the attention given to her by Naruto. There was really no way to hide. Once they emerged from the bathroom, Joō had posted upward, staring at Hidan, a man she wasn't familiar with.

Naruto looked up too, her hyperawareness making him look to. Upon seeing Hidan, he tensed but calmed down when he met Shikamaru's eyes. The man was wearing nothing casual at all. A suit with an unbuttoned shirt beneath the jacket. He smirked at Shikamaru, obviously trying to hold in his laughter, and rested his arms behind the couch. "Hello," he murmured. "Kneel, Queen."

The dog did as told and lay down on the floor, watching Shikamaru and waiting for him to come and greet her with attention and love. Shikamaru placed a foot forward but stopped suddenly.

Hidan rubbed his neck. "I should probably...yeah." The man nodded respectfully at Naruto, smiled hopefully at Shikamaru as if he wouldn't see him again tomorrow, and left without a word.

Naruto's head snapped to his best friend and his mouth quivered. Shikamaru glared as he came to greet Joo. "Not a fucking word, N."

That must have been the boiling point. Naruto's mouth opened, but all that came out was a loud boisterous laugh that made Joō jump, first in surprise, and then in excitement. "Oh my…" my laughing and Shikamaru wanted to punch him in the face. "Why did…"

"Naruto!" Shikamaru hissed desperately. He didn't like being laughed at.

"I'm sorry. I just. I didn't think I would be walking into a pornography today."

"How is this even close to.." The man cut himself off with a sigh. He wouldn't let this get to him.

"I can see the title now; Kinky doctor inspects and fucks handsome twink patient."

Shikamaru stared impassively at his laughing friend before his lips too began to quiver. It wasn't long before he was laughing too. He couldn't lie. That was a precise title for some kind of gay porno, but… "I'm not a twink!" He yelled, but they continued to laugh.

They calmed down after a while and the room got silent. Naruto sighed and Shikamaru caught his eye and the two began laughing again. "Twink rides religious nun."

The laughs got louder and Joo stood confused and excited as two of her favorite people laughed to the point of tears. "He does dress like a nun," Shikamaru yelled, making Naruto slap his knee.

They laughed good and well. There was nothing like deep breaths after laughing that hard. Nothing in the world like a sore stomach for the right reasons. Naruto clutched his stomach and wiped his face. "Shik," he muttered, laughs bubbling up softly now. "Shik, I don't care really."

Shikamaru stopped laughing too and smiled softly at his friend. "You don't?"

Naruto smiled big, his eyes closing. "I don't care what you do with your life or who you're with. Whether it's a woman or a man. But…"

Shikamaru nodded not letting his friend finish. He was smart. He knew things. "Don't worry, I'll stay focused on my job in the business."

Naruto raised a brow. "I know that's a given no matter what. I was going to say, I've met him before. I chose him personally because I knew he wasn't going to go easy on you. If he hurts you or does anything against our business, I'll kill him myself."

Shik's not a damsel in distress. He doesn't need saving. But Shikamaru, as Naruto knows his best friend, is afraid of being left out. He's afraid that all of his friends will find someone to be with and he'll be stuck alone. So he loves anyone who loves him back. He loves hard so it hits hard when the love is gone. When he lets someone go, it hits hard. Shikamaru isn't desperate to be loved, but he appreciates when love is given. Which is why his loyalty to Naruto is so deeply stemmed. Because Naruto loves Shikamaru more than his blood family and since they were kids, Shikamaru loved back just as hard. Shikamaru loved Naruto more than anyone he'd ever meet. Because Naruto never left like everyone else. He never wavered.

Shikamaru smirked. "You don't have worry to about that. I'm a hitman, aren't I?"

He and Naruto laughed softly to one another and the silence that followed was a comfortable one. Shikamaru rubbed Joō's chin. "What happened?"

"She hit her face on the dresser," Naruto murmured. "Damaged the retina." he sighed. These damn dogs, coming into his life and putting themselves in his heart. And screwing around and getting themselves hurt. First Koshaku hurt his leg when he attacked Ino and that would probably never work well. And now Joō. "She won't be able to use her eye again. I'm going to put her through therapy."

Shikamaru frowned sadly. "Poor thing," he muttered.

"Don't worry. She's tough. Don't call her Queen for nothing. What I'm worried about is you."

"Me?"

"Of course, idiot. How's everything so far?"

Shikamaru put a hand over the bandage on his chest and thought about those words. How everything was. With the gunshot and all.

"I have to admit it's hard." But he was only admitting it because Naruto was the only one that could see through him. Had it been anyone else, he would have lied through his teeth. "All I can think about is how Nagato coped after getting shot in the head." The man gripped the bandages, holding the water right there so it wouldn't come up. "How did he want to live after being changed because of a piece of metal? Because sometimes, I don't, Naruto." He looked to his friend, already finding intense blue eyes on him. "Is that weak of me? Nagato got through it, so why can't I?"

Shikamaru's gunshot wound was a nasty scab, still in the shape of a hole. But Naruto saw now, his friend desperate, that he had wounds that were deeper and more hurtful and didn't even bleed.

A gunshot wound to the abdomen often resulted in death. Even if it missed major organs, it would still strike the stomach. And that released acids into places they weren't meant to be released. It was an extraordinarily excruciating way to die. If Shikamaru wasn't within ten minutes of a trauma center, he would have died of hydrostatic shock.

Like Nagato, the bullet was supposed to kill Shikamaru. And like Nagato, it failed. But this time, it scared Naruto. Because now Ōmo realized that not all people are invincible. Maybe bullets can stop you.

He heard from Hidan months earlier the things that Shikamaru would be going through; _Anxiety; Nightmares or trouble sleeping; Thinking about the event over and over; Irritability or being easily upset; Not having much energy; Feeling sad._

 _Feeling sad. Feeling sad. Feeling sad._ Naruto grabbed his friend's hand away from the wound. "Shikamaru, it's okay." He cried silently.

Shikamaru looked down. "No, it's not. I feel useless just sitting in here. I can't fulfill my duties as a hitman."

Naruto's eyebrows lowered. "You were my friend before you were my hitman."

Shikamaru's head snapped up, tears leaving his eyes. "But you need another one. Pretty soon, you're going to need someone to handle someone and B's going to be busy. Hitmen are replaceable."

"Not you and B. Never you and B. If I need the job done, I'll do it myself if B is busy. I don't care if I have to do it for years until you recover."

"Still, Naruto. There's nothing happening here. I'm a sitting duck. Everyday Hidan comes in here, it's the same thing. It's not healing like anyone else's. It's taking too long. I won't ever be the same."

Naruto slid to the floor, hugging his friend close to him. He felt Shikamaru shaking as tears left him and the blond squeezed tight to eliminate any fears or doubts held within.

"Tomorrow will be better," he promised.

Shikamaru sniffed. "What if it's not?" He whispered broken. Afraid. Insecure. Scared of being forgotten as always.

"Then you say it again tomorrow. Because it might be, right? You'll never know. If you say it every day, at some point, tomorrow _will_ be better."

"You swear?"

"When have I ever lied to you of all people?"

Shikamaru let out a groggy laugh, one still laced in tears. "I love you, man."

"I know, dude. I'm so wonderf-oof." Naruto rubbed the side of his sore stomach. "I love you too."

* * *

 _Namikaze Household_

 _Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan_

 _April 25, 2005_

 _3:50 PM_

Naruto yawned as he unlocked the door of their home. It had been a long day, but at least he had visited some of his family while out. He would have been able to visit Karin to had it not been for Joō's frightening accident. Thinking of the dog made him look down toward the now hyper dog as he pulled the doorknob.

He laughed slightly. "Calm down, Queen. Your brother's going to be right there waiting for you."

She barked in return but made no move to calm herself. When the door was opened, she ran in as Koshaku came running out. The two slid against one another, but Naruto noticed it was more because of Joō's bad eyesight than anything.

"Hey!" He yelled his voice baritone and mean. Both Dobermanns looked toward him and he balled his fist. "The last thing I want is for you to get hurt again. So playing is off limits."

They made no move, telling Naruto that they got every word. But Koshaku continued to stare at Naruto with an innocent look. The dog's paw was lifting slightly. He was more mischievous than a seven-year-old Karin and this was something he liked to do. When he was told to stop playing around, he waited until Naruto or Sasuke were turned away to swipe his paw across Joō's face.

Joō's face, that was now holding a broken eye beneath bandages. Naruto's entire face grew heated as he lifted a finger. "No playing until she's ready. Do you understand?" His paw lifted some more. " _Duke!"_

The dog wavered, lowering himself to the floor with a bored look. Naruto sighed in relief. "Joō, we're going to start training you immediately, alright? Don't you two worry."

The blond took off his suit jacket and laid it on the couch carefully. Sighing, he rubbed his temple as he walked into the kitchen. Neji was on the middle island, reading a book.

"Afternoon," Naruto murmured, his blue eyes watching Neji as he walked to the cabinet. He pulled two large bowls put and placed them on the ground, going for the dogs' food soon after. When Neji said nothing, he looked up confused. "Are you alright, Neji?"

The raven sighed and closed his book. "I want to say yes, but I talked to Sasuke this morning."

Naruto's pupil dilated, the recognition of Sasuke and Oji not being there yet. _The chemo appointment,_ he thought. "Is Oji okay?"

Neji looked up in surprise. "What? Yes! It's not that."

The blond sighed in relief. "Then what is it? Why are you so worked up?"

Neji rested his chin in his hand, a sad aura surrounding him. "I talked to him about you two. About what's going on his life because sometimes I get scared for him." Already, Naruto didn't like where the conversation was heading. He knew Neji hardly trusted him, but Sasuke's friendship must have been a very sturdy shield for Neji to have the balls to say something stupid to his face. "You hurt him a lot."

Blue eyes narrowed and tan fists curled. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about his safety. Don't you care about Sasuke? Don't you love him?"

"Of course I do." Naruto hissed. There was no one in the world that had the love like Sasuke had. Maybe his friends were loved dearly, but Sasuke was different. Sasuke was the first lover Ōmo wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

"Then why don't you leave him? He's gone to prison because of you. He almost died because of you. And he's only going to keep getting hurt as long as he's with you. Don't you understand?"

"Don't you think I know that? I know every day that Sasuke wouldn't be in such a mess if it weren't for me. Ino; the drugs. I know that. There's no one else to blame but me because I'm Ōmo, not him. But if Sasuke fights through it, I do too. It bothers me more than it bothers him. I don't like putting him in danger."

"Then why don't you ju-"

"He won't let me leave," Naruto hissed. It'd be simple if Sasuke was afraid. Simple if he hated being put in danger. "Sasuke loves me too much and I love him too much. And now that we have Saku, I'm sure as hell not letting him go. After Ino, I understand the danger, and so I won't let him get hurt again."

Neji sat quietly for a while, as if he had heard those words before and hearing them again made it all the more real. "He...he won't leave you."

"Not a chance." Naruto poured the dog food in each bowl, giving a soft whistle after. Instantaneously, his large dogs began running in, Joō behind Koshaku for the first time in their lives. "You see, whether you like it or not; Sasuke likes men that have been in and out of jail. Not to be conceited, but I'm the best in that category."

Neji sighed. "You changed him a lot. The guys he dated before they weren't...they weren't dangerous." And he said it in a way as if Naruto would be offended. Naruto, who was Ōmo. Ōmo who could shoot Neji dead right now and leave his body for Joō and Koshaku to eat. It didn't offend him at all. If Naruto Namikaze wasn't a monster, then he didn't know who he was.

"I didn't change Sasuke." He smirked lovingly as his eyes closed. "Baby's so stable, he makes the world calm. He's so stubbornly independent that he wouldn't let anything change him. The guys Sasuke dated before, fucking punks. He gave his prettiness to guys that didn't care about it." Joō whimpered as she ate. Naruto imagined her head must be hurting from that angle. Sighing the man crouched down and lifted her head, feeding her out of his hands instead. "There you go," he murmured. Then his attention was back on Neji. "You two dated before, right? In fact, I think you were Sasuke's first...you know. Means a lot."

Neji blinked rapidly as if he had just been found out. And Naruto smirked. _Gotcha,_ he thought.

"You're jealous. You still like Sasuke. Or, you're such a pussy that it might be love." Neji sneered but made no move to deny the claim. Naruto laughed bitterly. "This is what I get for being nice to someone. Let me tell you how deep my love goes for Sasuke." The blond stood, dipping his hands into his pockets. "I'm a monster. I don't care who I kill as long as I'm killing something with blood. It's not only about business, it's become a craving to watch people die. But I love Sasuke so much that I'm willing to succumb those urges. For years, I've wanted to watch you die, but Sasuke doesn't want that. You're his loving best friend. So I don't kill you, God knows I think about it. So I love Sasuke enough to let him _change me_."

Naruto laughed at Neji's fear-stricken face. "It's alright. I can't kill you but I can calm you down. I want you to know this. You're a boy compared to me, Neji. Everything Sasuke has to offer, every physical inch on his skin. You couldn't hit that if you had aim. Every physical aspect of me is disturbingly intriguing. From my scars to my tattoos to how I look, Sasuke chose well. It's disturbing what he loves. And you're not even close. I'm a boss; you have a boss. Sasuke separates the men from the boys and you're nothing compared to me. So watch your mouth, okay? You must be forgetting who I am. Don't let Sasuke's shield fool you."

The two stared one another down for a long time, Naruto waiting for Neji to speak, and Neji waiting for the man to come closer. However, a knock on the door interrupted them and Naruto sneered into space, resembling a rabid dog.

He walked off muttering "I'm sick of people saving your life," as he went to the door.

The man sighed as he opened the door with ferocity. Now he was in a bad mood and whoever was willing to-

The blond stared into the eyes of Shino and grabbed hold of his waistband, gun out before he could speak.

Shino raised his hands defensively although the woman behind him grabbed her gun. "No, no. We're not here for anything but a talk."

Naruto's eyes went from Shino to the pink haired woman. He narrowed his blue eyes. "Put that gun down." Blinking rapidly at the cartel leader's demand, she lowered the weapon begrudgingly. Naruto looked around outside, trying to spot any cars. "You have some nerve showing up at my house, Shino. Without calling."

Shino sighed, taking it as permission to come in fully. He rubbed his hands together nervously. "I wouldn't have if it wasn't so urgent."

Naruto closed the door and turned with his arms crossed. "What is it?"

"There's been a raid on your drug house in Russia. Yesterday morning."

Naruto walked closer as he and Shino sat on the couch. "A raid?"

"The Russian FSB and the American Ranger unit. Bolade sent me in to get Rock Lee."

Naruto nodded. That was good. At least Lee was safe. The drug house could go to hell if he cared. When he voiced those words, the pink haired woman and Shino looked away from him. "What is it?"

"When we went in, we had Lee. But someone noticed something inside the walls-" Naruto didn't miss the way Shino's eyes went to his partner's even if it was discreet.

"The bodies," Naruto muttered, making them both tense. Try seemed uncomfortable and he seemed casual, the bodies in the wall didn't bother him. He didn't understand what the big deal was and he asked: "what about them?"

Shino eyed Sakura. He knew better than to speak against Naruto's way of doing things, much less question them. Sakura, on the other hand, would question why Naruto killed them? Humiliated them and put them in the walls, leaving them bloated and stinky and grimy. So Shino spoke first.

"Nothing much. They were found inside the walls. We went outside, Lee was still inside. The US Army found a shed by the house and I'm guessing you didn't want what was down there to be found." And Shino guessed it must have been worse than a body since those were so easily found. "A lot of people died there. And….and Lee didn't make it."

Naruto looked at him impassively before closing his eyes, crossing his arms and leaning back against the soft cushions. "Start making sense," he demanded.

And Shino continued to tell him what happened, event by event until Naruto's face became more solemn.

They sat quietly for a long time. The silence. God, it was horrible. Naruto sighed before leaning forward and putting his face in his hands.

"Narut-"

Abruptly, the glass table was smashed by Naruto's fist. "FUCK!" He screamed. The man stood clenching and unclenching his bloody fist. "Fuck!" He yelled again.

Shino stood. "Narut-"

Naruto stopped and raised a hand. "Get out," he whispered. "Get out while you can. What I'm hearing is a story about how you were sent in to save my most valuable soapmaker-" _My friend._ "And he still managed to die. Get out before I kill you."

The blond stayed turned around until the front door clicked close. His frown deep, he turned again. Joō had come out of the kitchen and was now staring at Naruto sadly as if she knew what was going on. He sighed, trying to remain calm. "It's just...it's been a really bad day. For the both of us."

When Sasuke returned home an hour later, Naruto had already bandaged his hand and cleaned up the glass, but his face still shown scars of something bad.

Neji had resided to the guest room for the rest of the day, Naruto's fearsome eyes being reason enough to stay clear of his path.

The man had come in singing softly to Saku who was still in his car seat. The baby was asleep, letting out soft snores that sounded like wheezes. His chin was low on this chest due to the angle of his lazy head. He was wearing a onesie with dinosaurs on them and Sasuke had rested that Straw Hat Luffy toy on his stomach. The knitted cap was covering one of his eyes. And the image alone was enough to calm Naruto down the slightest.

Sasuke smiled when he saw Naruto standing in the kitchen. He sat Saku's car seat down gently and came to goofily hug Naruto around his waist. "Hey, handsome."

Naruto smiled down at him. "Hey, yourself."

Sasuke giggled and then his head turned to the side. "What's wrong? Your eyes are puffy. Have you been crying?"

Naruto blinked rapidly, cursing Sasuke for knowing him so well. "No," he lied.

Sasuke eyed him and stood fully. "What's wrong?"

Naruto blinked. ' _Mush, you adore him.'_

 _Sasuke smiled. 'Well, after Saku, I do have to admit he's the most adorable thing in the world.'_

He proceeded to tell Sasuke everything. About the raid. And the explosion. About the argument and Mush's death. All the while, Sasuke had gasped, inhaled sharply, blinked rapidly, inhaled, gasped, and blinked again.

"Sasuke," Naruto murmured, holding the man's face. Sasuke couldn't turn his head away since Naruto held it, but he did lower his dark eyes to the floor. "Don't you cry when you're down."

A tear rolled down the Uchiha's cheek even though Naruto saw that he was fighting with everything in him not to cry. "Sasuke," and there was nothing else to say. He simply hugged the man close while he sobbed silently.

"Why didn't he just leave when he was supposed to?" The crying man asked, referring to Shino. "He could have saved him."

Naruto didn't know what Shino was thinking, but he knew he needed to talk to everyone else. "It's okay, Sas."

His heart clenched beneath his flesh when Sasuke clung to his shirt and whispered so sadly "it's not."

* * *

 _Japanese Physical Therapy Association_

 _3-8-5 Sendagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo_

 _April 25, 2005_

 _10:00 PM_

Naruto stayed with Sasuke for the rest of the night. He comforted him and made him dinner, telling the man he wouldn't leave for Shikamaru's temporary residence until Sasuke was asleep, in a state where crying was futile.

Now that Sasuke was alright, holding his son for the night, Naruto was here. He was trying to make them understand what happened to Lee, but it was still hard. Still hard to talk about it.

They all sat quietly for a while, no one ready to actually say a word.

Shikamaru was laying on the couch, wrapping his torso in bandages. Karin sat at his counter, rubbing her chin. Sha was on the same couch as Naruto while Bolade was sitting at the table.

Sha was the first to speak. "I can't believe that e's dead. I know we always said is luck was bad, but I…"

She trailed off, not knowing what to say. Shikamaru turned to look at her for the first time in a while. "This is hard on all of us, Sha. Not only because he was important to business, but because he was our friend."

"Still. Lee as luck like no one else. It's so bad that e should ave sa'vived that wound and lived with the pain. e should ave."

Naruto sighed. "But he didn't, Sha. And we have to deal with that."

"I was so mean to him," Karin finally stated by the counter.

Naruto sneered softly. "You have to live with it. You shouldn't have been mean to him. Lee was always nice. So you have to live with that."

"Nawuto," Sha scolded softly. "she feels o'wible. We all do. We can't affo'd to awgue. We'we all a'ting."

Shikamaru sat up with a heavy grunt. "Yes, but Naruto's hurting the most. We met Lee when we were about 12, and they took each other under their wing. But you're right. We can't argue. We have to come together and fight who did this."

"Who would want to start a war with us?" Bolade muttered in anger.

Naruto sighed. "Someone who doesn't know what we're capable of. The American DEA, the Russian FSB, and someone else."

"You want to show em what we're capable of?"

Naruto stared at Bolade for a long while reading the man as B read him. He smirked ferally. "No doubt."

"Good."

"I jozt don't undesstand ow they found out about the ooze. It doesn't even show up on satellites."

Naruto sighed. "It's Roh. The same Roh that gave Ino our territory."

"South Korean president Roh?"

"Yeah, Shik. But I don't think it's just him. You see, Roh may know how we operate, but he doesn't have enough balls to call on my house."

Shikamaru's head shot up. He and Naruto stared at one another with an intense gaze, as if Shikamaru were trying to deny something and Naruto was trying to push a possibility forward. "You don't mean-? But, that would mean. It _can't_ be."

Naruto sighed. "Someone's working with Roh from the inside. And when I find out who it is, I'm going to hurt them so badly, they'll understand why living is worse than dying."

Shikamaru blinked. "What's our next move?"

Naruto scowls because the answer, which lies on the crease of his brow, is so obvious it hurts. Really. "We're going to kill Roh."

* * *

 _KAIS Elementary & Middle School_

 _Honshu Island_

 _Tokyo, Japan_

 _1995_

The pond behind Kais Middle School was used for the children that attended. Whether it be used and monitored during recess or used for gardening, Kais' pond was something spectacular to the school. Filled with fish and surrounded by tall grass that made the kids feel they were voyaging through the grasslands.

The pond made the school and everyone, from teacher to student, cherished its significance. Naruto Namikaze, who was shy, hated it. He hated everything about it. It's tint that rivaled mud; it's smell, but he mostly hated being in it. Being pushed every day for being who he was. For growing up the way he did.

 _Poor boy._ That's what Ino said he was. That's what most people said he was. Naruto grumbled as he swam to the edge of the pond. Staring up in hatred at the laughing kids as they left the schoolyard.

Ino stopped to smirk at him, hearing the splash of water and the gasp for air. "Now that you swam, you don't stink, poor boy." The other kids laughed as they followed her away.

Naruto's fists balled around the dirt and mud as he glared. He didn't know if there were tears coming from his eyes because the water was still dripping from his forehead. But he knew he didn't stink. No matter if they couldn't afford the most expensive of soap, their family could afford their necessities.

Wiping his eyes harshly, the blond lifted a leg. "Here, take my hand."

Looking up with enough power to crack his neck, Naruto stared bewildered at the boy standing above him, offering a hand as if he were an angel from the heavens. The boy looked odd, with his bushy brows and odd bowl cut hairstyle. He was smiling softly at Naruto. "Grab my hand. You don't want to get even muddier, do you?"

Naruto contemplated if this boy was another one of Ino's friends. He could risk it and get pushed back into the water, something that happened before. Or the boy was just being nice. Naruto didn't trust anyone though. Not after Kiba.

But then the boy smiled bright and big. "It's okay. I'm different too."

 _Different._ The word even sounds right in his head. And the moment Naruto Namikaze takes Rock Lee's hand is the moment he finds out that a friend with an understanding heart is worth no less than a brother.

Rock Lee, who has enough bad luck to fall in the pond with him, is a true friend. With a heart so determined and gold, that he's better than all of them. Ino and Naruto.

* * *

 _Tokyo, Japan_

 _1999_

"You haven't been in school lately," Lee murmurs absentmindedly. "Ino's looking for someone to mess with now that you're gone for good."

Naruto tenses by the table, the room going more silent than it already was. "She hasn't been messing with _you_ , has she?"

The fact that Lee made a move to look away told Naruto everything, the lie coming out on his lips as a faint "no."

"Don't lie."

Lee looks up with ferocity and determination, as if ready at full to defend his blatant lie. "I-" Lee crosses his arms, staring sharply at the ground. He can't defend himself.

Naruto sighs. He swore that he would kill Ino one day. He would kill her so badly, not only for what she did to him but for what she did to Lee. Lee isn't like the rest of them. He's different. Innocent. People called him ugly, and he couldn't compensate with his brain. He didn't hate school like Naruto, but he wasn't good at it. He was a dead last, always trying to prove himself to everyone, even the kids that doubted him, judged him, laughed at him.

"I bought a plant in Columbia," he finally murmurs when both boys refuse to speak. Lee looks up in confusion.

"Plant?"

"Yeah." Naruto stares at him openly. "A coca plant." He has the best plan for everyone's loves, despite Lee being extremely ignorant. "That's why I haven't been in school."

The sixteen-year-old blinks. "So you aren't coming back?"

"No." Lee sighs and puts his hands in the creases of his pocket. "I want you around." The raven lifts his head in bewilderment, trying to decipher any betrayal in Naruto's tone and quirk of his lips. He sighs when he finds none, but it doesn't make him understand.

"Huh?"

"I don't care what people say about you and I don't care about your bad luck. I want you around. Fuck school. Fuck all the senseis and students there. Fuck the classes. You're better off by my side."

"By your side," Lee repeats, but it doesn't come off as a question. It's like he's reassuring himself.

"Yeah. If everything works out, we'll be the most powerful group in Japan. You, me, Shik, and B."

In a few years time, when Rock Lee is dumping the body of a political cabinet member in the alleys of Tokyo, he realizes he's not in the spotlight. Not like Naruto, Shikamaru, and Bolade, but he finds that he likes the solitude. And Naruto kept his promise.

' _Just stick with me, Mush. I won't let anyone hurt you or break your heart.'_

He did keep his promise. Lee vaguely remembers Naruto, at the age of 18, shooting a new coming falcon in the face because he called Rocky Mush 'hideous.' he remembers how it was really silent after the shot rang out and how Shikamaru stared in surprise at the limp body on the floor. But he mainly remembers Naruto staring impassively, with a hint of power, at the dead falcon. And the words, the cruel words he says, just because this man insulted his friend, is shocking.

 _That blood on your face doesn't suit you. You look hideous._

But now, when they're sixteen, and those things have yet to happen, Rock Lee shakes his friend's hand. It's almost like Naruto is saving him from the world like how Lee tried saving him from the mud.

He knows he won't really belong in the cartel, no matter how big the body he carries gets, Lee won't ever really belong. Because really, he isn't like the rest of them. He's softer. And because of that, Naruto tried to keep him a secret so the world wouldn't hurt him.

He doesn't belong in the cartel. But there's no doubt he belonged next to Naruto.

* * *

 _Fuchū Prison_

 _Fuchū, Tokyo, Japan_

 _Tokyo Metropolis_

 _April 25, 2005_

 _0645 wake up, stow bedding, face wash, toilet._

He grunted as his cell was tapped harshly and rapidly. Leaning up like a robot, the man's feet slipped off the bed. The guard continued to slap his baton against the cool metal bars, trying to get a rise out of the infamous prisoner, but he wouldn't look him in the eyes or even acknowledge him. At Fuchū, looking into the eyes of a prison guard meant serious punishment. And the last thing, he wanted was to be pushed into major solitary confinement, known here as reflection.

He didn't like being tied, gagged, and forced to sit a certain way until a few days called quits. Moving to the sink, the man splashed cool water on his face, staring at his green eyes in the reflection of the barred window. If he kept this up, the day would go well.

 _0700 roll call and room inspection._

Standing attentively, he was forced next to his cellmate and another prisoner. They stood like soldiers in the army, despite being far from one. Blocking out the names being called and his cell being inspected, the man wondered what was going on in the real world. He wondered if it was done if they had done what he said.

"Theo Auburn," his foreign cellmate. The chubby man stood straighter. "Present."

The guard nodded and moved down. "Azrail Yamanaka!"

The man, Azrail, stood straighter. "I am here," he called like a soldier. The guard was staring, he could feel it. Every day, new guards would come in and when they said his name, they stared often. He was a Yamanaka, the clan scattered in various prisons after Sasuke Namikaze took them down. He was the last Yamanaka, a man not really seen as much. Not even worth the list of men Naruto ordered dead.

He wondered if he would get taunted by the guard. As he faced it daily. He wondered if the guard would not so subtly recall that most of his family have mysteriously died in prison. So why was Azrail Yamanaka, the younger cousin of the cartel's biggest asset, Ino Yamanaka, still alive.

The guard moved on.

 _0730 breakfast and movement to work location._

He kept quiet at breakfast because he hated everyone here. He kept his head down because he'd be punished if he didn't. Soon, as the daily schedule went, he would be moving to his work location, where he would be dressmaking as part of his labor.

 _1000 fifteen minute break._

There were too many people in line for him to get a phone call, so Azrail would wait until after lunch. He didn't care. He had time. But the anticipation was killing him.

 _1200 lunch._

 _1400 fifteen minute break_.

He didn't get the call, but a guard had relayed that those who didn't get a phone call would be allowed two minutes at free time.

 _1640 industry stops. Prisoners return to rooms._

 _1700 roll call and prisoner inspection followed by "reflection time."_

He didn't fight as they gagged him. If he did, he'd stay here longer.

 _1720 Dinner._

Dinner wasn't eventful as always. The prison was strict. Nothing but silence could happen here.

 _1800 "free time."_

Azrail sighed in relief as he touched the phone, his hands tingling as he dialed a number in. He was anxious almost. He wanted this to be done and he wanted to know.

"Hello." The smooth voice on the other end called. Azrail was relieved to hear it. "How are you?"

He shook his head. "Not the time. I've only got two minutes. Is it done?"

The other didn't need to know what he was talking about. They had planned the raid after all. The raid on Naruto Namikaze's drug house in Russia. They knew where the bomb was in that she' and when Azrail told his 'partner' to call the Russian FSB, he wanted to be sure that both the Americans and the Russians were targeted. He wanted them to hate Naruto Namikaze.

"It happened."

The excitement in Azrail's veins couldn't be contained as he squeezed the receiver. "Good."

"But there's more." The soothing voice muttered in a whisper. "We took down one of his friends."

"Which one?"

"Mush" was the last thing he heard before the call ended, their two minutes up. Azrail sighed against the phone before a prisoner behind him sighed loudly. He smirked in contentment, but it looked like insanity.

He was going to hurt Naruto Namikaze's entire world for what they'd done to Ino. Even if he wasn't a big asset before, Azrail was going to revive his family name and make him pay.

"Four more years, Namikaze." He whispered. "Just four."

* * *

 **Japanese Words Used Here:**

Ohayō, utsukushī means "Good morning, beautiful.

 **Hunter is a term that deals with the cultural impact of cocaine in society. The drug isn't a term used for users, but those who understand the frightening reality of using the drug. Those who see the addictions, overdoses, and people losing themselves over a drug. They see cocaine hunting the user day by day. Hunting their life choices and lives ultimately by feeding off of them.**

 **Hunter can be used for a number of people in this chapter, the most obvious being Azrail Yamanaka.**

 **First used with Neji's advances of Sasuke. He isn't necessarily hunting Sasuke to kill him, but Neji's words and advances show that he wants whatever Naruto and Sasuke have to end. And he wants Sasuke to love him back.**

 **The second being Yahiko's adorable anticipation of being apart of Nagato all the time and being called his son. As well as his hunt to finally meet Naruto, which he does.**

 **The third is subtle and we have yet to see more of it. It deals with Bolade. And it's not the fact that he's finally giving Sha divorce papers. It's his past, first mentioned and seen by Sasuke. Sasuke, just by seeing Bolade's pain, concludes that it's worse than anyone's, and he has yet to know it. It's not very obvious that Bolade is trying to take Sasuke's advice and try to make up for what he did, and come to terms with his past.**

 **The fourth hunting in this chapter is comic relief; the sexual tension that is Shikamaru Nara and Hidan, the Romanian Orthodox. Shikamaru despises his therapist and continually vows to kill him. Hidan is almost smitten with the man and wants to have sex with him. This doesn't mean Shikamaru is gay, but it is a part of the plot that characters have known for a while, hence Naruto's lack of surprise. I would say Shikamaru is Bisexual because he still loves women. He loves Sha, just not the way he used to. And just because they had sex doesn't mean Hidan and Shik will be a thing. It isn't guaranteed, with Hidan's loyalty to religion and Shik's loyalty to Naruto.**

 **The fifth involves Naruto's intolerance for Neji. He reveals that he's always disliked Neji, and all the time, he wants to kill him. But he loves Sasuke enough to let the man change him.**

 **The fifth and sixth. Naruto not only wants to hunt down Roh and kill him, but he also wants to find out who's in his cartel and helping an enemy. Azrail, whose name means Angel of Death, is hunting down Naruto. It's revealed that he is the man who ordered the raid and got Rock Lee killed. He started the war. But does he know who he's up against? Truly?**

 **Sorry, it took so long to update. I guess I was just shocked at the low numbers of reviews and I spent days procrastinating and telling myself that I did something wrong. I was kind of afraid of writing, but that's alright. I don't mind writing for you guys even when you don't review. :) I should stop babbling and write the next chapter.**

 **Thanks for reading.**


	18. Mama Coca

**Mama Coca**

 **I can imagine how hard it is to find the time and review because I myself have to do it constantly with the stories I love. So thanks to you all for reviewing and those who have recently favored and followed the story. :) It means so much. And now to thank my chapter 17 reviewers:**

 **Franbunny: Thanks for reviewing. And Sasuke pregnant again? What? That's crazy. You're crazy. ;)**

 **HeartSNS: Even though their relationship is crazy as hell, I'm almost rooting for some ShikaHida. What can I say? I love the love-hate relationships. So we now know that Azrail Yamanaka is behind the raid even if he didn't anticipate Lee's death. But hell yeah, like how is Naruto going to this American ranger that killed Lee in cold blood because of some miscommunication. We'll see. Thanks for reviewing.**

 **Yamiheart: The relationship between Neji and Sasuke is slowly deteriorating each time they see each other and the cause of that is Naruto "Omo" Namikaze. But Sasuke would never just leave Naruto for the sake of his best friend. I mean have you seen the way that guy talks about Naruto? XD But yeah, Neji is hurt that he's being pushed aside, but he's also bitter about it. Also know that when it comes to Neji, Naruto isn't fair either. Naruto is Omo and when he wants to hurt someone, he doesn't care if he hurts the people around his target either. And Joo is going to be super okay. She's the queen. Thanks for reviewing and it's totally alright. I realize that I just love writing this story. So don't worry about it.**

 **Yaoifangirl102: Thanks for reviewing. And about what happens next...I hope it surprises you.**

 **Hotpotata180: Don't worry if you don't see a character in a chapter? They'll always have a storyline. Minato is definitely going to return. There's so much we can focus on about him. How he feels about the way he raised Naruto; his time in prison; his getting used to the cartel business. The list is endless as it is with everyone else. So don't worry. There may even be chapters where Naruto and Sasuke don't show up. Neji has a lot to learn and very soon, Sasuke keeping him close is going to be a very big mistake. But...we'll see. :) Okay, I'm also loving that you guys are loving this Shikamaru and Hidan thing. ShikaNaru is the ultimate brotp. Their relationship can't be rivaled by anyone. A lot will be revealed about Shikamaru because I feel that we haven't seen his true weakness, which is being forgotten. Shikamaru is desperate for any kind of love but is always hurt when that love doesn't work out. This is why he holds Naruto in high regard because out of everyone, Naruto never forgot him. Thanks so much for reviewing.**

 **Queen JJ: Yes. Yes, I will continue this story. And hi! Welcome to Omo. :) Thanks for reviewing.**

* * *

 _My second child was born prematurely_

 _She had a risk of breathing,_

 _Neurological, and lung problems._

 _I had to leave her in the hospital for two months_

 _And her survival rate was 46 percent._

 _But I had no idea I was pregnant again until the time came._

 _No morning sickness or physical pain._

 _So Suzuki Namikaze was a fortunate child_

 _from the very beginning_

 _-Sasuke "Psycho" Namikaze_

* * *

 _Japanese Physical Therapy Association_

 _3-8-5 Sendagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo_

 _July 15, 2005_

Sasuke had told him to be very subtle when going to pick up Shikamaru from the therapy center. He told him not to wear any suits or drive anything expensive because the person who had killed Lee could very well be right below their noses.

 _Naruto, we need to be careful. This piece of shit could very well be at the market Karin attends, At Sha's or Bolade's frequent mosque, or even working in the therapy center where Shikamaru is. We don't know what we're up against yet. But the good thing is, they don't either._

What Sasuke found out was that Naruto could be anything but subtle. Naruto owned nothing but expensive suits, regardless of the era. Whether he favored John Travolta in _Saturday Night Fever,_ Robert Redford in _The Great Gatsby_ , or even Robert De Niro in _Casino_ , Naruto wore a suit like people wore their hearts on their sleeves. So he couldn't look subtle when he often looked like money in the eyes of others.

If that wasn't bad enough in Sasuke's eyes, then the cars were. They had recently installed an in-home garage for the 15 cars that Naruto owned. All of them were luxury vehicles from different years. The car he drove more frequently after giving his continental to Sasuke was the 1994 Lamborghini Diablo. Sasuke couldn't get Naruto to stop driving that thing if he tried.

Naruto got out of the car and fixed his suit, patting done the suede down delicately. He couldn't wait to finally get Shikamaru out of here. Not because he was fully healed, but because the Nara would feel a lot more optimistic once he saw the world again.

Shikamaru's entire journey through this had been tough. The road he walked on laced with cracks and the stops had been filled with obstacles too big to climb over by himself. He had been afraid, angry, alone, and sometimes all three at once. He'd felt forgotten.

And it frightened Naruto. He knew his friend more than anyone knew him. And he knew that the dark road Shikamaru had busied himself upon only lead to death. So he tried, everything he could, he tried to drive down that dark road and find Shikamaru, give him a ride, but he never found him. That is until Hidan showed up.

Hidan. The Romanian immigrant. The Orthodox Catholic with a heart the size of a pea. Naruto's original thought was to kill the man the moment he saw Shikamaru and him leave the bathroom together. He thought the therapist was taking advantage of Shikamaru's weakened state, so he would kill Hidan and subtly send Shik a new therapist.

But Shikamaru looked so happy right there. Naruto blinked his tears away as he took the elevator to Shikamaru's room. He wasn't supposed to cry, especially not over something so small. But Shikamaru was smiling when he came out of the bathroom, soft and hidden like he himself couldn't believe.

And when Hidan left, Shikamaru had opened up. He told Naruto about his dreadful fears, knowing that Naruto would understand them. So yeah, maybe he wouldn't kill Hidan. Maybe Hidan was okay.

The Namikaze had been thinking so much, he hadn't noticed that he was already in front of Shikamaru's door. As stated so delicately harsh by his endearing husband, Naruto Namikaze was anything but subtle. Which was why God gave him no initial thought to knock before he opened the door.

Hidan was still there, his forehead knocked against Shikamaru's and his palm on Shikamaru's flesh wound. He was whispering something while Shikamaru's eyes were closed.

"Don't take any goddamn drugs that interfere with your body's natural healing process. So no smoking, you got that?" Shikamaru laughed softly but made no move to open his eyes or mouth. "Make sure to eat properly. Your body needs good ass food to fuel the healing process. And get lots of Vitamin C, asshole. Keep the wound warm too and by the end of the week, you should be fine to do all kinds of fucking stunts you 007 hitmen do."

Shikamaru only hummed as Hidan moved away from him. Naruto was finally noticed as he leaned against the wall, his arms crossed, his smile playing dangerously with amusement.

The Nara blushed. "Would you stop doing that?"

"What?" Naruto asked innocently when he saw the sheer excitement in Shikamaru's eyes as he looked into blue. There was no denying that Shikamaru was happy to see him.

Hidan crossed his arms. "Yes. Stop fucking-" Naruto blinked owlishly when Hidan's head was pushed by the force of the slap given precisely by Shik. And then he beamed proudly at the swiftness, the accuracy, the force. _Still my number one Hitman,_ he thought.

Hidan rubbed his jaw, glaring sharply at his patient? Boyfriend? What were they? Naruto put it in his mind to ask. "What the fuck was that for?"

Shikamaru glared. "Don't speak to him like that."

Naruto blushed in absolute embarrassment as Hidan blinked at his friend. He didn't really know when this brother complex of Shikamaru's really began, but after seeing it for more than ten years, Naruto concluded that it was there to stay. The fact that Shikamaru idolized him to an extreme wasn't _that_ bad to accept.

So the man just stifled a laugh and walked in fully. "Yes. Don't speak to me like that. If you hurt Shikamaru's feelings, I'll hurt you."

"Yeah," Hidan muttered. "You've told me plenty. Christ, the two of you together is a riot."

And Naruto believed him. Since they were young they had been; working together as a mischievous duo. If they weren't stopping Madoka from his usual smoke, they were messing with Karin's things. Or playing in the basement, or reading with Nagato. So he didn't deny Hidan's claim.

The grey-haired man waved to Shikamaru as he left the room, leaving Naruto and Shikamaru to leave on their own accord.

When he was gone, it got quiet. Not an awkward quiet, but a comfortable one, content enough to sleep in. Naruto smiled softly at his friend. "Are you ready to go?"

Shikamaru looked around the room as if to memorize his indirect prison in the last months. "You have no idea. I'm sick of wearing sweatpants all the time. It's such a drag."

The Namikaze laughed as they headed out, locking the room behind them. They walked to the car in silence before a thought ran through his mind. It probably wasn't the best time to ask Shikamaru this, since he was shifting so suddenly, but…

"Hey, Shik?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you.." he stopped awkwardly as they got into the car, not sure how to phrase the question without seeming desperate to pry.

The raven raised a delicate brow, watching the sudden shift of his friend's discomfort. "Am I…" he urged.

"Are you, uh, you going to see him again?" The question was obvious prying. There was no other way to ask it without sounding offensive. 'Are you still going to have sex with him occasionally?' sounded so wrong. He didn't want Shikamaru to feel like he-

The Nara looked down to the car floor. "I... I don't know," he whispered, gentle enough to be a hum. "I don't want to feel like I'm only having sex with people because I'm desperate and alone." Naruto looked down sheepishly. Yeah, he didn't want to make Shikamaru feel like that. Before he said anything, however, Shikamaru shifted so that his head was rested on the window, looking out into the vast parking lot of the therapy center. His knee twitched, meaning that he wanted to curl up right at the moment and hide the onslaught of anguish that covered him. "Probably not," he answered.

* * *

 _MARUNOUCHI TRUST TOWER MAIN_

 _Marunouchi, Tokyo, Japan_

 _July 15, 2005_

"Sasuke, I need that coffee!"

Sasuke looked up from his work area to the man that moved diligently through the calm office. During these months of his internship, he had come to know Yoshida-sama as a very impatient and demanding man.

When Sasuke had first done his interview, Yoshida, the head of the firm, had refused him once he'd done a background check. However, it was a month after the interview that Yoshida unexpectedly called Sasuke, offering him the internship that the Namikaze had worked so hard for.

Since the interview and the offering, Yoshida had never faltered in his emotions. Which threw away the assumption that he was only impatient with Sasuke because of his relations with Naruto.

He demanded everyone around, giving them cases that best suited them. When it came to Sasuke and a few other interns, it was coffee to keep the man on his feet.

"Sasuke?! Where are you?!"

The raven yelped quietly and stood, berating himself for spacing out. He raised an arm in the air, all too eagerly and yelled out "I'm right here, sir!"

Yoshida turned, his entire mood on fire. "Where's the coffee?"

"On it," Sasuke muttered hastily, rushing out of his work area and out of the large workroom. The cafeteria was down the call from the office, six rooms away, Sasuke remembered from the various coffee trips to and from. He was unaware of the amused stares of his fellow apprentices, masking the envy they felt.

When the cup of caffeine was complete, the raven rushed back to his boss' office in a haste, trying to improve some sort of record time.

The way Sasuke was is the blatant reason he was a top student at the University of Nagasaki's law and business college. He worked hard to prove himself despite the odds. And even if he were filthy rich because of his husband, Sasuke wanted to be something wonderful. And so he worked himself like a dog; filing papers, writing notes, giving advice to lawyers he looked up to in the office, even making coffee for Yoshida had become something he wanted to be the best at.

And eventually, "Sasuke" had become Yoshida's favorite name to call, not that the raven was aware of that. Whether the man was yelling for Sasuke, yelling at Sasuke, telling someone else about Sasuke, the people heard it all over the 26th floor. And that's where the envy came from. The envy he was extremely unaware of.

"Are you going to stand there all day until it gets cold?" The old man practically hissed. Sasuke blinked owlishly, coming to once more.

"Sorry, sir," he murmured, handing the coffee to Yoshida in a delicate manner. He began to walk out as Yoshida was muttering something about iced coffee and silly interns before the man stopped him.

"Sasuke?"

He turned around. "Sir?"

The old man sat his scorching cup down and crossed his arms as he stared Sasuke down. "A franchiser I had services with closed." The man sighed as if he were sad about this. "My services with them didn't finish, so what should I do? I paid upfront."

Sasuke blinked at the man before smirking. It was a test as always. Every once in a while, Yoshida would ask him a question about anything pertaining to legal action and he expected Sasuke to know the answer. It was something the raven assumed his boss did with all the interns. "If the franchiser has filed bankruptcy, all you can do is file a proof of claim. If they have not filed bankruptcy, you can go file a criminal complaint for theft by failure to make required disposition of property."

Yoshida hummed in agreement and Sasuke wanted to believe he saw a proud smile on the old geezers face. "I have filed for a motion of contempt. However, the opposing party filed for a motion for dismissal. Will my case be heard?"

Sasuke thought for a moment. "Sir, If the TPO is dismissed what would the other party be in contempt? If the party changed the TPO after it was issued by the court it sounds like forgery would be the appropriate criminal charge and you should contact law enforcement to make a report."

Yoshida smiled this time, for real, the gesture looking so oddly foreign on him. "If you keep this up, you'll be a bengoshi before you realize. That's very good, kid. I'm glad I gave you a chance."

Sasuke beamed. "Thank you, sir."

"I have a question. How old is your son?"

Sasuke's smile didn't falter, but it dimmed a bit, like blocking the sun from your eyes with your hand. It became less wide and softer and his eyes dazed because that's how it was when he talked about his son. "He's going to be an official six months on July 20th. Five days from now."

He resisted the urge to prove his claim, deciding that talking about counting the stairs as he climbed to help Saku's speech, Saku choosing to commando crawl across the room on his arms, and becoming clingy and anxious around new people would probably annoy his boss.

"That's…." Yoshida was looking for a word. "Young. Wouldn't you rather be home earlier every day?"

 _Yeah,_ Sasuke thought. But he didn't voice that. The last thing he wanted was to make his boss upset. He would rather be at home with his family, but his job was important as well. "My son can be alright without his parents for at least three hours."

"Why don't you head home early and care for him?" Yoshida suggested.

Sasuke blinked before waving his hands in a 'don't worry' way. "It's alright, Yoshida-sama. My cousin in law is babysitting him right now and-"

"Sasuke," The man warned softly. "It's not a request. Don't worry, you'll be back tomorrow. Besides, you're doing too good to be sitting around here for more than three hours."

Sasuke blinked at the man in disbelief before coming to terms with what was actually said. Before he knew it, he had clasped his hands together in a worshipping way. "Thank you so much, sir." The other man only grunted with an angry face before Sasuke smiled, beaming with enough power to rival the sun. "You know, you're not actually a bad guy."

Yoshida stared sharply as Sasuke smiled. "Just get out of here before I change my mind, kid."

Sasuke nodded and hastily left, although, he couldn't stop smiling. He moved to his desk, packing up his things before his phone vibrated in his back pocket. Answering without checking who it was, Sasuke murmured "Konnichiwa."

"Sasuke. Oh good. I'm glad I got a hold of you on the first try."

Sasuke blinked as he grabbed his bag moving to the elevator. He moved the phone away from his ear to read and make sure his ears weren't deceiving him. And true to what he heard, It was Hizashi's name displayed on the screen, Neji's father.

"Hizashi-san, how are you? Is everything okay?"

"Yes, yes. No need to worry. I won't hold you up since I have so many other calls to make. I just wanted to let you know that Neji is going to be graduating soon and he would like that you and your family come to Nagasaki for the ceremony."

Without hesitation, Sasuke muttered, "of course." Neji was his best friend, after all. Neji had supported him through a lot and Sasuke, without a doubt, or question would do the same. It was how they were. "What day is the ceremony?"

"It'll be on July 30th, but we'd like you to come ten days before it that's alright with you."

Five days from now. Saku's sixth month in the world. A vacation with just he, Oji, Saku, and Naruto sounded perfect for that. "Of course. I'll let everyone know right away."

When Hizashi had hung up ten minutes later, Sasuke was already in his car ready to head out. He wouldn't go home immediately and he was sure he'd told Karin that this morning. He texted Bolade, telling the man that he was on his way and started his car, vaguely remembering the path to Shinjuku's famous cafe.

* * *

 _Cafe AALIYA_

 _3-1-17 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan_

 _July 15, 2005_

Sasuke sighed as walked into the cafe. Looking around, the man smiled softly when he spotted Bolade at a table in the back, eating the wonderful french toast they had here. He began walking over to the man. "You mind giving me words of encouragement so I don't kill one of the envious assholes at work?"

When he had sworn he couldn't see how envious the other apprentices were of him, he had lied to himself. Without looking up, Bolade smirked in amusement. "They don't allow prisoners to watch Forensic Files."

At the mention of his favorite show, Sasuke sat with a huffy smile. "You're a life saver."

"I know."

Sasuke laughed softly, telling the waiter that he would have what Bolade had before continuing. "Were you waiting long?"

"No. I just got here." Bolade blinked before raising his index finger. "Why are you so happy today?"

Sasuke beamed. "My best friend's graduation is in 15 days and he wanted us to come to Nagasaki in five."

B smiled too, having heard from Naruto about Neji's not so great goodbye from his last visit. "It's good that you two are on speaking terms at least."

Sasuke snorted in a sarcastic manner. "It was his father that called." Neji and Sasuke were always close-knit, but recently it felt like Sasuke was doing all the work in their relationship. Neji had left him with an awkward goodbye and now he had his father call for Sasuke. Maybe if he showed Neji that he cared about their friendship, they'd be on better terms.

"That's cowardly," B commented. And Sasuke just shrugged.

"Enough about him. But, really, how have you been?"

Bolade had filed for divorce months ago and he had not demanded anything from Sha. On top of that, he had given her money even if he felt that it wouldn't compensate for how he treated her.

B smiled a soft one. "Sha finally signed the papers. But she was reluctant to do so. And I don't know if I should be hopeful or afraid. Maybe she didn't want to leave me. Or maybe she was afraid that she couldn't restart her life."

"It's okay, B." Sasuke reached and grabbed his friend's calloused hand, not missing how different it was from Naruto's own. Naruto's hand was soft, brave, confident. B's was searching, afraid, touch-starved if it weren't balled into a fist. He didn't understand how B truly felt and he probably never would. He didn't understand what made the man's shoulder shake from not trying to cry, but he felt his pain. He wanted B to just be better because the pain hurt worse when you yourself couldn't see it. He wanted B to live with or without Sha.

B shook slightly. "I've... I've decided to go back to Nigeria."

The silence that ensued was vague and uncertain as if even Bolade could feel the 'bad decision' vibes radiating from Sasuke. And then he took a moment to clarify, to ensure that returning to that bad place where bad things happened is okay.

"Only for a year. I think," he paused to rub his bottom lip. "I think coming to terms with what happened will help me understand who I am."

He stopped, looked toward Sasuke with hopeful eyes as if the Namikaze's next words would save him from getting on that plane.

"If that's what you want, Bolade. You know Naruto won't stop you from this. You know he won't deny you _that._ But if that's what you want."

It isn't what Bolade wants. He could give anything to never go back there. But he's too afraid to voice that. So, B does what B does. He only nodded.

Sasuke stared at him for a long while before he looked away to his food, dropping the subject in his head. "When are you going?"

"My plane leaves in a few days." He smiled, trying to lighten the mood; trying to comfort himself. "So we'll both be going on a vacation."

But for some reason, it doesn't make Sasuke feel good. He felt like he should be stopping B from leaving. He didn't really know what was wrong, but it was in the pit of his stomach that it was _wrong._ "Have you told everyone else yet?"

"I'm planning on telling Naruto today."

"Just Naruto? No one else?" _Not even Sha,_ he wanted to add.

Bolade only shrugged. "Naruto is the one that should know. Not only is he my boss, but he understands. He's important."

Sasuke smiled. "Just Naruto?"

And he's glad that Bolade does smile, getting the joke. "Of course you're important. I told you first for a reason. You're my life support line, after all." And then he lets out a hearty laugh that can't even be deterred by Sasuke's deadpan.

Eventually, Sasuke shakes his head. And he briefly wonders why he had gone to Sha first at that party and not B. Maybe because looks were really deceiving. Whatever the reason, he swore he'd never do it again. He had almost missed out on a great friendship.

* * *

 _Namikaze Household_

 _Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan_

 _July 15, 2005_

Karin stared at the show Saku was babbling so courageously at. The same show Sasuke told her the boy absolutely needed to watch before he left for work and the same show Naruto repeated in warning tones before leaving for Shikamaru. Apparently, Saku's worst mood happened when he didn't see this show in more than 24 hours.

She tried her best not to sneer at the cartoon as the boy with the red shirt yelled obnoxiously with an odd boy with a long nose. Who was he anyway, Pinocchio? Because despite seeing this show for only an hour now, she admitted that long nose sure did lie a lot.

Saku made her jump again as they yelled on the TV and he mimicked what the boys yelled at each other. Long nose said something about being a warrior when Joō howled after him, making Saku smile with excitement. And then that straw hat boy yelled something funny.

"I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!"

Which sent Saku off into a flurry of giggles. Karin couldn't deny that the show was really good and creative and unique, but really….what the hell was a One Piece?

She shook her head in amusement. "You're more like Naruto than he likes to admit." She muttered and Saku looked back as if he knew she was talking to him. "You're focused one thing that makes you happy and you don't care about anything else. So how bout it, kid? This show is to you like Naruto's train was to him, huh?"

And Saku smiled big, agreeing with her, making her sigh in content. She remembered the days when that train was the only thing Naruto worried about. How he used to pretend to be its hero, its villain, everything. Naruto had created so many memories with that train, it had become part of their lives.

Karin wondered where it had gone. If it were still around.

Before her thoughts could reach further, the sound of keys jangled against the front door before it was opened.

Sasuke was the first to walk in, his bags with him. The show now forgotten, Saku thrashed excitedly against the seat of his jumper, much like Naruto would have when Betsy came in. Karin watched him move his legs and the wheels of the jumper began rolling to the smiling Sasuke.

Even the dogs were jumping around, waiting to get some attention from the man.

Sasuke gasped. "Saku. You scared me!" But it was all play when Saku giggled loudly and bumped his seat into Sasuke's leg, the closest he could get to his mother in the thing. The man pursed his lips. "You know what you get when you scare mommy?" He lifted his hand and Karin's eyes widened when Saku violently thrashed with excitement. This kid was so close to Naruto, it scared her. He yelled something completely incomprehensible but Sasuke still nodded, his mouth widening in a way that he was trying to fight. "That's right. The tickle monster." When his hand began moving slowly to Saku's neck, and Saku began to yank around, Karin couldn't help laughing too. Saku was being tickled by his mother and it was the cutest thing in the world. And Karin didn't even do _cute_ if it weren't her.

And then the moment was ruined by a baritone voice that Karin hadn't heard in months. "If I get shot standing out here, I don't want you at my funeral."

And Sasuke laughed, coming to his senses. "Gomen'nasai. I was so caught up with this little handsome man."

He moved in more, pushing his son's jumper back gently. When Bolade came in, Saku went crazy. He stopped laughing, sat still, and went crazy again. Karin had no idea Bolade even knew Saku. Did he stop by on occasion and get close to her cousin? Naruto wouldn't tell anyway. He never told when B and Shikamaru visited. But as his right-hand men, she assumed they visited often, giving them more time to make an even bigger impact on Saku.

B grunted in slight annoyance when Sasuke laughed and walked past, slumping on the couch from a day of being on his feet. "I'm so glad I brought you were," he smiled. "Now that he's seen you clearly, he's not going to let you go for about three hours. Or until he falls asleep."

Joō rested by Sasuke's legs while Koshaku, who knew no boundaries, jumped on the couch and onto Sasuke.

Saku had stopped squirming when B finally closed and locked the door. He looked up curiously before lifting his arms. Bolade stared right back, dark eyes staring into dark eyes. He made no move to pick up Saku and give him what he wanted. Saku's eyes went down for a split second before they came back up.

"No," Karin whispered. The baby's eyes were mischievously watery now and blinky, like he was trying to make himself cry. And God no, because he sounded like Naruto used to cry. "Please, just…"

Bolade sighed dramatically before reaching down and picking the brat up. Tears long forgotten, Saku pulled on B's dyed blonde hair, babbling incoherent words.

Sasuke laughed a soft one. "I'm sure he wasn't much trouble, right, Karin?"

Karin smirked. "Are you kidding? The brat may be as cute as you, but some of his personality resembles a four-year-old Naruto, who in my mind was very annoying." And then she smiled crossing her arms. "But, yeah, no trouble at all."

"I thought so. Kare wa son'nani amai koda."

"Yeah."

They could all hear the sound of laughter before the two even got to the door. Joō looked up, her ear twitching while the others stopped, except Saku who was exploring B's beard now.

"So you don't want to hear about it?" They heard Naruto ask in a sly manner and Sasuke smiled because he knew the man was smirking.

There was a sigh that followed. A sigh so lazy they knew it was Shikamaru, who didn't like breathing in so much air to let it out. "Sure. Please enlighten me on your first time having sex with Sasuke in the same backseat I'm forced to sit in when you, B, and I go somewhere." His voice was laced with sarcasm, but Karin had looked back at Sasuke, a laugh on her lips. "It won't bother me, you know since I've had sex with a nun."

It grew silent after that before the two of them began laughing loudly. Sasuke was so confused, but furthermore so embarrassed. The front door was opened and the two looked at everyone. Shikamaru stared horridly at everyone. When Naruto started laughing boisterously, Shikamaru covered his face with a deep groan.

"Karera wa subete o kiita," Naruto practically yelled. Saku laughed softly, laying his head on B's chest.

Shikamaru sighed. "I hate you so much," he whispered.

Karin smirked ferally. "Did you really sleep with a nun?"

Embarrassment long forgotten, Shikamaru and Naruto looked at one another before they both answered simultaneously "yeah."

"Yeah."

And then Karin turned around to Sasuke. "Which car was it?"

Sasuke sighed, rolling his eyes. "The continental." And he sneered when Karin began laughing just as loud and obnoxious as her cousin. Those damn Namikazes.

Naruto gasped suddenly when he found Saku's curious eyes on him. "Godamn that baby is handsome."

Saku giggled and hit B's chest rapidly as if to say 'he's talking about me. Did you hear? Me!'

"And the moment you grow annoying is the moment you have the privilege of going to your father." Saku didn't mind being handed off to Naruto since the attention was great.

Naruto snuggled against Saku like the boy was a lion cub, rubbing their cheeks together making Saku giggle and grab hold of his father's face. It was loving, the way he just stared at Naruto like he wanted to savor his appearance. "Mmm," the child called, puckering his lips.

Naruto laughed. "Mmm...ma" He kissed his son's mouth and laughed when Saku blushed and laid his head on Naruto's chest.

* * *

 _Japanese Physical Therapy Association_

 _3-8-5 Sendagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo_

 _July 16, 2005_

"Clocking the fuck out," Hidan muttered. The secretary and a few children gasped as he waved them off dismissively. He didn't have time for her stupid 'I'm reporting this to your superiors.' He just wanted out of this shitty place. "Yeah, yeah. Report it to my superiors. Yeah, blah blah, fuck you too, blah."

He was out of the door with a mischievous smirk before she even picked up the phone. Shikamaru's stupid fucking face showed up in his head as he walked through the parking lot and the man almost stumbled over a crack in the pavement.

 _Damn that stupid hitman,_ he thought. Since yesterday, the Nara was the only thing he could actually think about. He had come into work this morning thinking over what he would say to make Shikamaru flustered, and angry, and wanting to kill him. And then he cursed when he walked into that empty room. Well, it wasn't empty, there was a woman who needed to recover from a sprained ankle so she could continue swimming. But he didn't give half of a single fuck.

It was hard to admit that he missed the little shit. But after attempting to rile up his new patient, and making her cry, he convinced himself that Shikamaru was different. Sex was sacred and as a man of God, Hidan tried to fuck anything he deemed needed saving.

He couldn't save Shikamaru. He would never. He supposed Naruto Namikaze had already done that. But he fucked Shikamaru senseless anyway and maybe he had done it again and again and three more times after that second again. Hidan, who had actually stopped having sex with people in the middle of it. Hidan, who never fucked the same person twice.

The man had made it to his car, something that he was completely unaware of, and stubbed his toe on the tire. Yelping, he dropped his bag and lifted his shoe-clad foot. "Son of a bitch, motherfucker. Holy shit, the goddamn father, his fucking son, and the son of a bitch holy spirit. Fucking twat of a tire…"

Hian froze in cursing as he spotted a child, no more than seven staring at him in curiosity. With a harsh glare, the man raised his middle finger slowly which was a bad call. The kid's father had come around the car and when the Japanese man saw Hidan's finger, he covered his child's eyes. "This is a child."

Hidan was still glaring, but his eyes had gone up to the dad. Slowly, but surely, he raised his middle finger until it stopped on dad.

And then he grabbed his bag, hopped into the car, and sped off. He blamed his actions on love. _Love._ The man sneered softly. And he swore, he was going to remember this. The day he fell in love with Shikamaru Nara. Or the moment he realized it. When he fell in love, it was a temporary madness. It erupted like an earthquake, and then it subsided.

He thought about going to see Shikamaru. But the Nara did say he was going to kill him, so...maybe not. Hidan growled lowly. He liked Shikamaru so much, he wished he never met him.

If he did see him, what would he even say? "I really like you," He murmured and then blushed to a point of painfulness. "No that sounds so kiddish. This isn't a fucking playground."

"Look I love you," he hissed. "And I don't care if you kill me. Ugh, what's the point?"

Then he smiled and whispered "te iubesc." Romanian did sound more romantic than Japanese, in his opinion. But then he'd have to tell Shikamaru what it meant. And he was sure he'd be all embarrassed.

"Look, asshole, I'm not going to deny that I was aware of your beauty. But the point is, this has nothing to do with cute you are. As I got to know you, I began to realize that beauty was the least of your qualities, I mean...even if it was outstanding. I became fascinated by your personality. I was drawn in by it. I didn't understand what was happening to me. And it was only when I began to feel actual, physical pain every time I left the room that it finally dawned on me: I was in love, for the first time in my life. I knew it was hopeless, but that didn't matter to me. And it's not that I want to have you. All I want is to deserve you. Tell me what to do. Show me how to behave. I'll do anything you say."

He scowled softly toward the end. All that came to his mind when 'tell me what to do' was muttered was a porn scene. He wouldn't mind making a porn scene with Shikamaru.

 _Kinky doctor fucks politician._

And then he laughed softly. Shikamaru did act like a politician.

* * *

 _Ōkubo Park_

 _Kabukichō, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan_

 _July 16, 2005_

Sasuke smiled softly as he rolled the marijuana perfectly on the dashboard of Naruto's car. "Pearled," he murmured.

Naruto scowled, more so at the leaf than Sasuke. He really hated smoking, but at least it wasn't the usual cigarette he saw his husband with. He hated when Sasuke smelled like an ashtray, sexy as it was or not. "Who taught you that?"

"Your father."

He smirked when blue eyes had widened. "Sasuke. Please for the love of God don't encourage him. Next thing you know, he's going to teach Saku how to land on his hands from the top of a bunk bed." and the blond shuddered at the memory.

"I'm not. You have a lighter?" Sasuke opened the glove compartment. "Nevermind." Reaching past the silver gun, the raven grabbed a red lighter with Saku's name engraved on it. "When did you make this?"

"After he was born."

Sasuke lit the blunt and inhaled. He placed it between his lips and Naruto wanted to believe it made him uncomfortable….but when his chest got hot, the blond looked away.

Sasuke laughed softly and leaned over in his seat, invading the blond's space. He blew smoke on the tan neck and smiled when Naruto huffed.

"You've been really clingy these past few months," Naruto muttered. But he hugged Sasuke around the shoulders anyway, bringing him closer.

Sasuke offered the blunt and smirked when Naruto took it. "Yeah. Wanna have sex before they get here?" He didn't wait for a reply but skillfully twisted so that his right leg reached around Naruto's thighs.

Naruto shook his head. "They'll be here in about five minutes."

"Then we have five minutes."

Sasuke unbuttoned Naruto's shirt slowly, his dark intense eyes never leaving his husband's. "You're crazy, Sas." The blond pushed the weed back into Sasuke's hand, watching the raven smoke it like he had been for years. When Sasuke was looking high as shit, he put the blunt out against the door and threw it out the window.

Sasuke giggled softly stopping and just laying his head on Naruto's chest. He didn't really care what they did, he just liked being close to the blond. This was intimate enough.

Naruto sighed, smelling Sasuke deeply. "I love you."

Sasuke smiled. "You still wanna go?"

"Could you at least wait until the deal is done?"

Sasuke huffed but made no move to argue. "I don't understand why I have to be here anyway?" Naruto kept his mouth shut. Sasuke had been in his moods lately and he didn't know how the raven would react if he told him he actually asked to come along. The raven kissed the blond's forehead softly. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

"No, it's not. I'm being pushy because I want to do things other than think. If I'm not thinking about Saku, I'm thinking about if B should actually go back to Nigeria or not. If I'm not thinking about that, I'm thinking about how I'm going to talk to Neji when we go down for his graduation. All of th-"

Naruto blinked rapidly at his husband, his eyes as wide and interested as always. "Wait. Neji's graduation?"

"Yeah, I-oh. I forgot to tell you. We're going down in four days for Neji's graduation."

"We?" Naruto deadpanned.

"Of course. You're family."

"But I'm not _his_ family."

Sasuke sighed softly. Here they went again with another argument about Neji. "Come on, Naruto. Don't be like that."

"There's no other way to be." Naruto pushed the raven off his lap gently but winced at the sheer hurt coming from those dark eyes. "He doesn't like me. You know that. I don't like him. It's best if we stay away from each other."

"If you two would just talk about-"

Naruto raised a hand, his glare heavy and mood shattered. " _Don't_. Just don't, Sasuke. As long as we're together, he's not going to like me. He's very disrespectful to what we have and you don't care."

Sasuke sneered. "Watashi wa takusan ki ni shimasu."

"Sasuke, this guy has been all over you. When he was here, you two were cooking together. Well, you were showing him how to cook. His _dick_ was practically on your ass. We both know he loves you and he wants to show you that. He doesn't respect our relationship. And he should be cut off immediately."

"I can't help that I'm everybody's type." And Naruto was so fucking mad because it was true. Sasuke was conceited for a reason and he hadn't been lying. Everyone just loved how he looked, how he acted.

"This isn't a joke."

"I can't cut him off. I can't do that. He's my best friend."

Naruto snorted, but he didn't look happy at all. "I wasn't going to put you past not saying it."

"Well, what if Shikamaru loved you? I know he's heterosexual, but what if he loved you and didn't like me because we were together?"

"Shikamaru would never. We're like bro-"

Sasuke raised his hand. "Don't cut me off." Naruto deflated slightly. When Sasuke was fully into his pissy mood, he wouldn't take any words from Naruto or anyone else. "Like I said, what if he loved you and I asked you to cut him off? Would you?" Naruto sat there glaring at the windshield. "Exactly. You're not the only one who grew up with people you care about."

The two sat there bitterly for a long time before Naruto spoke. "I'm not going to Nagasaki with you."

Sasuke shook his head. "You are," he hissed with enough venom to melt steel.

"No. I don't like Neji. What do you not get about that? I want to _kill_ Neji. I want to cut him up and feed him to Karin as a big joke. Is that enough for you? What do I need to do for you to understand that I really want your best friend dead? He thinks he can just come here and be all over you because you used to have a thing. And you don't mind a bit."

"Of fuck you. I told Neji how it was the other day. I like one dick and it's the same one that gave me a little shit with the same stubborn attitude as yours." There was a time when Neji and Sasuke had experimented and had become inseparable, but those days were gone. And just the thought of letting someone other than Naruto touch him made him squirm.

"And he still tries to woo you. Like, motherfucker, get over it." Sasuke stole a glance at Naruto. The blond was so angry, his teeth bared every once in a while. So angry that his eyes had become red and his knuckles clenched around the steering wheel even though they were parked. "I know you were his first and the guy probably hasn't had sex since then, but geez. That asshole needs to get a hard grip on reality. You're mine-"

"I'm not an object."

"And I'm yours. If I have to fuck you right in front of him so he could get that, then so be it."

With that revelation, Sasuke calmed down. Aww. Naruto said he was the raven's. "Aww, I'm yours."

"Stop, Sasuke!" The blond yelled in the silent car. "This isn't a time to be joking. I'm fucking pissed!"

Sasuke tried his best not to laugh. Naruto sure was scary when he was angry. But Sasuke couldn't help himself. His husband looked...so...good when angry. And Sasuke didn't mind being turned on one bit.

"If Neji thinks you're just going to fall in love with him, he's a fucking idiot and Nagasaki University is stupid for accepting him. I mean, _his dick_ was on _your_ ass." Naruto glared hard out the window where the other car had just pulled up, twenty minutes after their deadline. The man opened the door. "Stay in the car, college boy," he hissed.

So he was madder than Sasuke had initially thought. When Naruto said something about Sasuke's school, he insulted Sasuke's middle-class superiority growing up. He insulted Sasuke having enough money to go to college and just the entire fact that Sasuke would never truly be one of them. Sha and Bolade were raised with little money. Shikamaru was raised with little to no money. And everyone knew the Namikaze's were dirt poor. They connected with one another because of that. And for Naruto to point that out and rub it in his face really hurt.

He curled into the window when Naruto got out of the car and slammed the door. Hard enough for the glass to shatter. The sound was enough to make Sasuke jump and he watched as a million tiny shards sprayed Naruto's seat like an explosion. Naruto glared at the now empty window. His lips went out, but he was fighting to keep them closed.

With a heavy hiss, he was stalking toward the car with a gun in his hand, angry aura killing the mood of the park. Sasuke sighed. He vowed to take Ōmo to anger management classes, but his first real thought was "oh, Naruto. Please don't do anything rash."

And just as that was whispered, Naruto's gun spun skillfully in his hand, and Sasuke's stupid heart beat heavily against his chest. _Fuck Naruto, man._ The cartel leader was now holding the gun's front and without thought, he smashed his subordinate's car window with it. "You're twenty minutes late, you motherfucker! You think I have time for this?"

The man in the car looked afraid, his eyes widened to comedic proportions and his face paler than most Japanese people. "No, sir. I-"

"Shut up! I don't have time because I have to go home and get ready for a bitch's graduation! Just give me the fucking cocaine." Naruto pulled out a wad of money from his suit and threw it at the man. When he got the cocaine, he gripped it until it bust open on the ground. Sasuke gasped as the pure white drug sprayed Naruto's suit and littered on the floor like powdered candy.

Sasuke couldn't help it. He began to giggle uncontrollably. The kid in the other car gaped as his boss started stomping on the cocaine, cursing. "Stupid fucking cocaine."

Naruto stormed away, but the kid in the car stopped him. "Ōmo, sir, this is ¥10,000 more than what I should have."

"I don't care!"

Sasuke shook his head as Naruto began stalking back to the car. Now, this...was a drug deal gone wrong. And that was all due to Naruto's sexy anger. When the blond got back to the car, the kid was gone. He removed his suit jacket and wiped the glass off his seat with it, slamming the door when he got back in.

Sasuke twiddled with his fingers. "So you _are_ going to the graduation?"

"Shut up," Naruto hissed.

The former Uchiha sighed. "I…" he began, waiting for Naruto to explode again. "I don't like when you do that. I don't like when you use the way I was raised against me. It's not like I had a choice. My grandfather was the son of a high ranking military officer so they gave him good money after the bombing. That's how I was raised, but I hate when you do that like I'll never really belong." He looked at Naruto, his eyes large and moist. "I belong with y-you, don't I?"

Naruto blinked once. Then he blinked twice. And when the water just kept rushing up, he did it four times fast. And still, it wasn't enough. The blond started crying and he rested his face on the steering wheel to hide it. The tears were more angry than sad. Angry at the events. Angry at Neji. At himself.

Swallowing his pride, his broken voice muttered "I'm sorry. I'm being an asshole. I don't mean to be. I just...God….I've never had anyone that I wanted to stay with. And then you came along and you had husband written all over you. The moment I get someone worth dying for is the same moment someone tries to take them away. So I feel threatened by Neji. Because he had you first and I was just...I don't know what I was. A hope, a rebound. Neji's different than me. He's got a degree and dreams. And I've got a fucking organization dealing illegal drugs. You're on the road to a job so blatantly on the right side of the law and where am I, Sas? On the wrong side. I love it though. I love doing these things. But sometimes, I get scared. Because…."

Naruto trailed but he didn't need to say anything else. Sasuke already knew. The blonde looked over to find his husband smirking and immediately his face had gone from insecure to afraid. "Why are you…"

"Did I ever tell you that I like dudes that been in and out of jail?"

"Guys that have been-" Naruto cut himself off, taking a moment to wipe off his eyes. He looked at Sasuke curiously. "Guys that have been in and out of... _jail._ "

Sasuke crossed his arms. "Yeah. I like dangerous. I like the wrong side of the law. It may be due to my rebellious behavior, but I'm not into preppy guys. If my guy doesn't have a few sentences or bodies under his belt, I don't want him."

He was smirking, but he was looking away from Naruto. The blond smiled cockily, his insecurities, seen and only seen by Sasuke, fading for another day. "Well, I don't mean to brag, but I did go to jail three times, starting when I was sixteen."

Sasuke turned to him then, feigning disbelief. "No way. Really?"

Naruto laughed softly. "Really. And I don't really like to tell anyone, but I've killed a few people."

Sasuke's lips quivered. He tried to hold in a giggle as he flicked his hair like he saw in movies. "That's such a turn on. Don't tell me you get angry a lot. If you do, that'll just put the icing on the cake."

Naruto smiled softly. "One time, I got so angry, I broke two car windows and squeezed cocaine on me in a matter of a minute. I was being an asshole to one of God's greatest creations."

Sasuke looked away to giggle softly. "What about your cash? You got any?"

Naruto smirked. "I mean. They don't call me the Lord of Japan for nothing. Ōmo has money."

Finally, because he couldn't take it anymore, Sasuke looked at Naruto and moved to sit on his lap. "A rude boy that's good to me. And with street credibility too? You've got husband written all over."

With his thighs being straddled, Naruto couldn't hide the blush much longer. So he covered his face in embarrassment. "Nanite kotoda. You're literally the best thing that ever happened to me. Ugh," he groaned. "I just wanna fucking marry you again."

Sasuke blushed deeply. That revelation wasn't what he expected. Anytime, it would be hard for Naruto to even express an ounce of what he was feeling, but he did say Sasuke was different.

Naruto groaned again. "Why are you like this?" The younger man's head tilted and his mouth opened to show confusion. "Why are you so perfect?"

"I'm not per-"

"Shut up," Naruto said again, but there was no bite behind it. "Don't even try to say it. You don't get to decide."

Sasuke smiled when Naruto grabbed his hand and kissed it tenderly. He supposed a healthy relationship included fights. Most times, it was Naruto being the asshole, but sometimes Sasuke could be too. They argued a lot, but they always made up. He didn't know any good relationship without arguments. So he could deal with the fights if Naruto could. "And you do?"

"God does," Naruto corrected. "He made you."

"Keep talking like that and I might just go to town on you."

Naruto shrugged, pushing his seat back so they could have more room. He grabbed hold of Sasuke's butt and pulled them closer. "We've got time."

Sasuke smirked and lifted his kimono as Naruto stared. "I knew wearing this today was a really good idea."

"Sasuke," Naruto muttered as he stared bewildered at the sheer fact that his husband wasn't wearing underwear. "Before you realize it in a few years, I want you to know I called it. You're a freak."

"Just for you."

 _Just for you. Just for you. Just for you._ "Just for me?"

"Stop asking stupid questions."

"Alright."

* * *

 _Namikaze Household_

 _Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan_

 _July 20, 2005_

"Say aaahhh…"

Saku stared at his mother before he mimicked him, opening his mouth with the same sound. He continued to stare bewildered at Sasuke before the man began laughing softly.

"Say aaahhh…"

"Aaahhhh."

"Aww." The raven pushed the baby food into his son's mouth, smiling when the boy ate it. "Can you say mommy? Say hi mommy."

"Sisisisis!"

Sasuke blinked. "Very good."

The sound of clothes shuffling together made the raven look up in confusion. Naruto was busy packing his own suitcase and Saku's baby bag. "Sasuke, are you done packing?"

"Yeah. I packed yesterday."

Naruto glared at the suitcase zipper. "Then why are your favorite shoes still on the floor?"

The raven looked toward the corner and sure enough, his Adidas sat against the door. He smiled sheepishly when Naruto shook his head in frustration. "Could you be a dear and put them in your bag?"

Naruto huffed, but still moved past Sasuke to grab the shoes. The blond felt a slap on his body and yelped. He grabbed his butt and turned to Sasuke in utter shock. "I feel violated."

"Maybe you shouldn't leave the house trying to look cute."

Naruto laughed boisterously, continuing on to the shoes. "You know there's something crazy with the world when a pretty thing like you can make Ōmo feel like a damsel in distress."

Sasuke only laughed in return, using Saku's bib to wipe his food-filled face. "You're so nasty, Sūpaman," he cooed. "You're so nasty."

Naruto stuffed the shoes in the bag and struggled with the zipper once again. "Oji," he called at the bathroom door. "Are you almost finished? The Jet's going to be at the airport in 30 minutes."

"Yeah!" Oji called back. The Yamaguchi had come from the bathroom a minute later, holding his suitcase tight in his hand.

Naruto just smiled apologetically. "Here, I'll handle it."

Before Oji could reassure his grandson in law, Naruto already had the bag slung over his shoulder. The blond grabbed hold of his own suitcase.

Sasuke lifted a hand. "Wait, do you mind carrying Saku? I'm really tired."

Naruto smirked softly. "Anything for you."

Sasuke blushed and covered his face as Saku grabbed for his hands. "Don't say that," he groaned.

Reo laughed softly, trying to cover his mouth. "So adorable," he muttered.

Sasuke blushed even more. "Oji!" But then he just huffed. The raven tied Saku and the Iro around Naruto's back, making sure the boy strapped well and secure. "Alright, on our way to the airport."

* * *

 _Haneda Airport_

 _3 Chome Hanedakuko, Ōta, Tokyo 144-0041, Japan_

 _July 20, 2005_

The private jet Naruto owned was a Learjet 40. It was mainly for business, but Naruto liked using it when he wanted to get around and see the world. More of the world that wasn't just Tokyo. The jet was light and had been both produced and enhanced by Bombardier Aerospace, a company Sasuke knew his husband had been funding.

The raven loved it if him snuggling into the soft leather seats was anything to go by. He sighed sleepily, his eyes fluttering more than his heart to the sound of Naruto talking to Saku.

He shifted slightly, smiling as Naruto nestled the baby closer to him, a bottle of Sasuke's bodily milk close by. "Alright, Supaman," he whispered. Gently, he placed a fuzzy pair of earmuffs on the boy's ears, smiling when he smiled toothlessly. "Got you some tiny protectors for your little ears. But Sai still told me that breast or bottle feeding is going to alleviate ear popping. And we got a good bottle of momma's milk right here, don't we?"

Saku's mouth opened like he was ready to speak, but he just placed a hand on Naruto's chest. It wasn't strong enough and had slipped. The boy's entire face turned red and he whimpered. Naruto smiled.

"It's okay." cautiously, he grabbed Saku's hand and put it back where it had been, making the baby giggle. "That heart sure is fiery, ain't it? Just like yours."

Sasuke blinked heavily then, blinking away tears. Dammit, why was he so emotional? A soft hand touched his thigh and he looked over finding Oji smiling at him. "Get some sleep, Sasuke. Naruto's taking care of everything."

The 20-year-old nodded. And with the sounds of Naruto whispering, Saku giggling, and the sight of Oji smiling never had a few moments of a consciousness slipping away felt so good.

* * *

 _Narita International Airport_

 _1-1 Furugome, Narita-shi, Chiba-ken 282-0004, Japan_

 _July 20, 2005_

It was terrifying. A real terror. A piece of metal that had the power to kill people if it decided to nap in the sky and give out. It was the only thing going through his mind. _It could kill you. It could kill you. It's going to kill you, B._ And the dark man blinked heavily. Because really, He wished it would kill him. If he stepped on this plane, he wished it would nap in the sky and dive and sleep in the ocean and kill him. Because he could give anything to never go back there; back to who he was. It was terrifying.

The plane hadn't left yet, and it wouldn't be for another twenty minutes, but even in this idle state, it did more than place fear into Bolade's heart. It threatened him. It wasn't in a hurry. It hadn't a place to go until the pilot got ready. And yet, it had already arrived. Right in front of him it had arrived, staring down at him and yelling to the world 'You're going back to that awful place. And you're going to relive everything that almost killed us. You have to.'

Bolade inhaled sharply, one of his feet going back unconsciously. He wasn't ready. He wasn't. _Fuck._ Why did he ever say he was going back? 'If you don't, you're going to hurt more people.' He stared at the plane for a long while, and still, the intense glare wasn't enough for the airplane to turn to dust. Ashes from all those times he had died growing up.

It never wavered. It was stronger than B. It would forever be stronger than him. It would always be free to remain who it was. B wasn't given that privilege.

A static lightning reared its ugly head above him and the dreaded monster had come out from the intercom.

"This is the final boarding call for passengers booked on flight 372A to Abuja, Nigeria. Please proceed to gate 3 immediately. The final checks are being completed and the captain will order for the doors of the aircraft to close in approximately five minutes time. I repeat. This is the final boarding call for all passengers to Abuja, Nigeria. Thank you."

B looked at his feet as people began shuffling around him. _Please, God,_ he'd begged. _Please don't make me do this._

* * *

 _Detroit Metropolitan Airport_

 _Detroit, Michigan, United States of America_

 _1979_

The five-year-old boy stared up at the plane with big chocolate eyes. He had never ever seen a plane this big. The boy knew all about planes because daddy used to help build them. Daddy had plane models hanging in the old garage and he used to sit him on his knee and tell him all about planes and how they worked.

Turning to his aunt Keisha, the child smiled softly. "Before daddy got sick, he used to make planes bigger than the world."

Keisha, who had always been sick, smiled down at him warily. It was wary. Her eyes were sunken in and she looked slumped. The boy had never even noticed that, always smiling when anyone else smiled. "Silly nilly. Those weren't just planes. They were parts of a big space shuttle. Ya daddy was a real good aeronautical engineer."

It's a lie. Bolade knows it's a lie because he made it up when he saw that space movie. But Daddy's gone now and he makes up stories about how strong he was.

The boy's head tilted but his smile never faltered. "Yeah that. Before daddy got sick, he used to take me everywhere. And one time, I got to see a butt hole on the screen that was sure to swallow me and daddy."

"Black hole," Keisha corrected tenderly, looking back up toward the big screen with all those big numbers that didn't mean anything. Adults were so boring. All they did was read and look serious. He hoped he would never be that.

Absentmindedly, the boy nodded. "Yeah, the butt hole. Daddy said it's mean to everything, even light. You think I can go in one, Aunty Keisha?"

Once more, she sent him a reassuring smile. Soft, sad, albeit reassuring no less. "You can do anything if you love yourself."

He didn't understand what that meant. He wished he did. He wanted to really know though before he was allowed to leave on the big scary plane. Could he get into the butt hole or not with a big space plane?

"Daddy says I can." The boy stared curiously at a hopping bug on the ground before he asked: "when is daddy coming back?"

The grip on his palm tightened slightly and he winced, looking up to scold his aunt before he saw the very sad look in her eyes.

"Aunty, what's wrong? Was it something I said?"

She turned to smile at him, but even at just five, he knew it was broken. It was always broken. It was broken when she said daddy had died. _Died,_ he thought mischievously. Died just like that funny Tom cat when he was chasing Jerry. He got hit with a big piece of metal that daddy called an….antil? Anti? Anvil? And Tom cat died for five minutes before he came back. It was funny. It was so funny that daddy was doing that to make him laugh.

He even laid in a big box asleep. He had never laughed so hard at daddy in his life. Daddy was so funny.

"It's alright, little one."

"Okay." Once more, he had lost train of thought, trying to remember what he had asked her. "Aunty, you didn't answer my question. When is daddy going to get out of that box and come home?"

"Your father is dead," she murmured.

The boy put a hand over his mouth to giggle, his eyes squinted in pure joy. "Shishishi. I know that silly, but when is he coming back?"

She looked down at him. "He won't come back."

He stared up curiously, feeling the mood suddenly shift. Won't come back? Aunt Keisha was really crazy. Daddy always came back. Came back from work. From the hospital. He was a restless man. He couldn't stay in that box forever...could he?

"Why," he whispered. "I wanna see him before I go."

In the faint light of the airport, his aunt's eyes shined before she closed them and inhaled. Crouching so that she was on eye level with him, she rubbed his soft brown cheek. "Sweetie, that's why we're here. You're going to a nice home with your mother because your daddy won't come back."

"Why," he whined. Already, the child could feel the mood shifting and he began to grow irritable and fussy. He didn't want to get on this big plane anymore. Didn't even want to look at it.

"Because. When people die, that means we will no longer be able to see them."

"Okay," he whispered tentatively. "But where did daddy go when he died? Did he go where I'm going? To Nibble-town?"

"Nigeria," she corrected.

And once again, his curiosity and hostility had faded. "Yeah, nibble town." The boy looked back up at the plane. "I don't think I want to go here anymore."

Keisha couldn't help but laugh at the sheer amount of thought the five-year-old placed into the sentence. She kissed his forehead. "But you have to, boo boo. You're going to go to a nice stem school and see your other siblings. And your mommy wants to see you again."

He didn't know her. He didn't want to know her if daddy wouldn't be there. He turned back to her. "Why can't I stay with you?"

And again with the giggles. The woman pointed to her head. The same head the two liked laughing at together because every time aunt Keisha grew hair back, she said it all falled out. "Do you remember what I told you? Why you can't stay with me?"

"Because you're sick and your hair falled out."

"Fell."

"Yeah, falled. But really, I don't care if it falls out. You still look pretty, aunty." He was unaware of a tear that fell down her face when she hugged him abruptly.

"You're going to be okay. I'm okay. Repeat that."

"I'm okay?"

Keisha smiled and nodded. "If you love yourself, you'll never be alone."

Before he could even ask her what it meant, a big loud voice hovered above them.

"Good afternoon passengers. This is the pre-boarding announcement for flight 79B to Nigeria. We are now inviting those passengers with small children, and any passengers requiring special assistance, to begin boarding at this time. Please have your boarding pass and identification ready. Regular boarding will begin in approximately ten minutes time. Thank you."

Keisha smiled at him and stood fully, grabbing hold of his hand. "Say it," she murmured when she noticed how afraid those brown eyes got.

"I'm okay," he whispered. And then louder "I'm okay."

* * *

 _Abuja, Nigeria_

 _1979_

 _One week after Bolade's arrival._

His mother's name was Beatrice Mohammed. She was beautiful. And she looked just like him. She had a husband, who was really nice to him, and two boys that were younger than him.

Beatrice wasn't what Aunt Keisha said she'd be like. She was mean and always nagged at everything he did. She didn't want him there just as much as he didn't want to be there.

But Aunty said that he'd be just fine if he loved himself. He'd be just fine.

They all sat at the dinner table eating a soup that e really really liked though. Folu, his mommy's husband, called it 'Abak Atama soup.' The boy could hardly remember what it had in it.

' _Periwinkles, stockfish, Palm fruit, Atama and other spices are what makes up this nutritious flavored soup, kid.'_

Whatever it had, he really liked it. The sound of a fork falling against a plate made him look up and he looked up, staring into the twin eyes of his mother.

"Ain't you got no otha' family that can ca' fo' you?"

He stared at her for a long while before looking back down at his plate. Aunt Keisha, he probably would never see her again. And daddy was gone and those were the only family he knew. "I don't got no one anymore."

"What was you lookin fo' when you came a'?"

"This place," he whispered. "This house so that I can be in it with you, mommy-"

She sneered at that word, a face so foreign to him, the boy stopped abruptly.

"Who told you about this ooze? Yoa' daddy?"

"No. Aunt Keisha did. She said daddy died."

At the mention of his dear Aunt, Beatrice's eyebrows went up. "She brought you ha?"

"No, ma'am. She stayed because she was sick."

"ow'd you come a'? Who bwought you?" Now he looked steadily at his mother but did not answer. "I asked you a question."

"I walked here. From the plane place, I walked here. It was a long way. Nobody bring me here or help me."

He was looked up and down. "You ad good clothes on yoa' bagk and good shoes on yoa' feet. ow?"

Folu raised a hand. "B, stop picking on im."

"I want to know."

"I took the shoes!" The boy stood, knocking his wooden chair back. He hated it here. He hated being here and shunned. "I stole the clothes too! Right from the lines because I don't have none!"

Beatrice stood too. "Who do you think you'we talking to, boy?" He stepped back slightly. "Get out," she hissed. "Go to the basemon."

The five-year-old ran from the dining area, flinching at the plate that crashed and shattered against the floor as it tried grabbing his leg. The boy ran down the basement steps and jumped onto the cot that Folu had placed down there. Once secure from the eyes of others, he lifted his knees to his chest and hugged himself.

He sighed. "I'm okay." And then louder "I'm okay."

* * *

 _Narita International Airport_

 _1-1 Furugome, Narita-shi, Chiba-ken 282-0004, Japan_

 _July 20, 2005_

"Once again, this is the final boarding call for passengers booked on flight 372A to Abuja, Nigeria. Please proceed to gate 3 immediately. The final checks are being completed and the captain will order for the doors of the aircraft to close in approximately five minutes time. I repeat. This is the final boarding call for all passengers to Abuja, Nigeria. Thank you."

Bolade inhaled and he prayed to whatever God that still believed in him that his aunt and father were watching over. With each step forward, he could only mumble two words to himself that reassured him he'd live.

"I'm okay."

* * *

 _The funeral was expensive, all paid for by Naruto, who spent no less than ¥10 million on his greatest friend. It was lavish and full of color although everyone wore black. It was as expensive as the man in the box. Nobody had any doubt that the best-dressed man there was the corpse. Instead of limousines, there were chariots pulled by black horses and at the church, there were more flowers than a high society wedding._

 _Still, it didn't make Sasuke feel better. He opened the church doors dramatically but made no move to cower. No one looked at him. No one noticed him. The service continued. Naruto was up at the front speaking of better days. When he met Rock Lee and how deeply their friendship had gotten._

 _The blond cleared his throat. "There will always be a part of me still at here, in this room, listening to these songs with him. It's the part that refuses to let him go, that needs our bond to extend past our mortal life together." He shook his head. "I don't want to leave him here. I don't want to put him anywhere where I won't see him again. And sometimes, I wish…" He stopped. It was hard. It would always be. "Today, I can't be Omo. It's hard. I can't be who I am because I feel lost without my friend. I protected him. I love him, and most times he loved me too."_

 _He put his head down and the day of Rock Lee's funeral is the day most people who haven't already see Naruto Namikaze cry, sad and broken at the altar, not willing to let go of a drifting soul. "Maybe it's all going to turn out alright. And I know it's not, but I have to believe that it is. I'm going to get a strange feeling when I leave this place. Because I know I won't only miss him, but I'll miss the people we used to be. Because we won't ever be that way again."_

 _The casket moved. If Sasuke could see nothing else, he saw the casket move. Heard it. He saw the gold box move to the left and he heard the scratch against the floor. But no one else seemed to care. Naruto continued talking and crying and the mourners did too. The raven couldn't look away from the box. He swore he saw it. Did they._

 _Stepping forward, he stopped at the silent sobs of someone so familiar. Those sobs were his own. He watched the man in the seat, cry quietly against Sha's shoulder and he wondered if he should comfort himself. The casket moved again. And he didn't know what came over him._

" _Lee?" He whispered._

" _Lee will always be…"_

 _It moved again, this time louder, this time desperate. Sasuke flinched slightly and his eyes narrowed. "Lee?"_

" _Naruto!"_

 _The sheer cry had enough power to make him fall back onto the floor. He watched in...horror as Lee sat up, still dead in his casket, his eyes open and staring at the blond man at the altar. "Naruto," he called again. The dead man pulled his knees to his chest. "Naruto." It was a whisper. "I want to come home, Naruto."_

" _He's always going to make me think of him and how crazy his luck was." There were soft laughs from the others, but Lee couldn't take his broken eyes off Naruto and Sasuke couldn't take his own off Lee._

" _Naruto, please. It's so dark in here. And cold. I'm so scared, Naruto. I want to come home. Please," he begged. "I want to come back. I'm scare-"_

 _Mush stopped abruptly and Sasuke couldn't deny how silent it had gotten in the church. And something odd happened. He couldn't decide whether to be terrified or fascinated. Lee looked at him. Not at his physical body, but the one that could only see the casket moving and the man inside it crying for help._

 _His head tilted in confusion before he asked a single word. "Sasuke?"_

* * *

 _Learjet 40_

 _July 20, 2005_

"Sasuke, wake up!" Sasuke gasped and inhaled sharply as he was shaken awake by Naruto. Lee. Lee needed help. When he came face to face with Naruto, the raven couldn't help it. His face twisted until it deemed just right from crying and a sob left his dry lips.

Naruto hugged him close instantly, squeezing him and kissing his forehead. "It's okay, Sasuke. Don't you cry when you're down, you hear me."

"We..we were at Lee's funeral. It was just like…" Sobs wracked his body and Sasuke held onto Naruto's shirt tightly. He didn't want to go back there. It was so mournful and Lee was so scared. "It was just like it had been, but…"

"But what, Sasuke? If it hurts to talk about it, then don't talk about it."

Sasuke looked up, his eyes afraid. In the dream, he couldn't shake the emotion off him when Lee looked at him. He had wondered if it were fear or fascination, but now back into himself, Sasuke couldn't deny the only emotion going through him at the time. Sadness. A sheer utter amount of sadness. One that made him weep with the first wave.

"Sasuke?"

"I think," he whispered. "Wherever Lee is, I think he's afraid."

A sharp pain went through his lower abdomen and Sasuke jumped up. The pain had seared everywhere. It was first a punch in the back and then a stab in the lower abdomen. He whispered softly.

Naruto stood too, trying to hold his husband. "What's wrong? Are you feeling o-" the blond stopped and stared at the back of the raven's pants. The pants had been light so the wet stain that was slightly red was easy to spot. The last time he heard about a liquid in the back of Sasuke's pants that looked like that was…

"Goddamnit." Ōmo pushed forward, moving into the cockpit of the jet. "Land somewhere quickly. Anywhere near a hospital," he demanded the pilot. "Sasuke's going into labor."

Sasuke whined again and held his lower belly. Sweat was already forming on his forehead and the man looked ready to collapse.

And the only thing Naruto could actually do while they waited to land was form one coherent thought. "I wondered why you were clingy and tired."

Sasuke only raised his middle finger and flinched at another contraction.

* * *

 **Japanese Words Used Here:**

Kare wa son'nani amai koda means "he is such a sweet child."

Karera wa subete o kiita translates to "they heard everything."

Watashi wa takusan ki ni shimasu means "I care a lot."

Nanite kotoda means "oh my God."

 **Romanian words used here:**

te iubesc means "I love you." Hidan practicing what he's going to say to Shik is life.

 **The chapter is called Mama coca and it's a term for powdered cocaine. To all, using the drug is the mother of all bad habits, but she is ultimately a mother and the user respects her. In this chapter, we get a glimpse of what's to come. The hardship and sins of motherhood that is Sasuke Uchiha and Beatrice Mohammed, Bolade's revealed, abusive parent.**

 **The hardships go to Sasuke: The man who is working his ass off for his dream and trying to take care of Naruto, Saku, and Reo at once. Naruto wants Neji to be cut off from their lives completely, but he doesn't understand that Neji and Sasuke's friendship used to be much like Shika's and Naru's. Sasuke doesn't want to choose between anyone. On top of that, Sasuke hasn't been talking to Neji because the latter has been ignoring him. Mothers are strong. Which is why, of anyone, those with the highest spirituality in this fic are Betsy and Sasuke. Sasuke has a tremendous spiritual level, more so due to growing up in Nagasaki, Japan's gateway to Christianity. It was indirectly revealed that he could feel Betsy's pain in the earlier chapters, and now, he could feel Bolade's hurt and see Rock Lee hurting too. It comes from Sasuke's instincts to help people and comfort them. Aren't you all excited that Sasuke was pregnant again? Even more, we have to hope that Suzuki will be okay.**

 **The sins of a mother go to Beatrice: We don't know much about her, but now that B is going back to Nigeria, his past will be revealed. However, with just a small flashback of her first week with her son, we see that she dislikes him. He sleeps in the basement, which she calls his room and she doesn't want him there.**

 **The reason this chapter ended so abruptly is that there's a continuation next chapter. We found out that Sasuke has been pregnant and is now going into labor. From the quote, we know it's a girl and she was born prematurely. But let's get to it and see if she's alright.**

 **Thanks all for reading and I hope you'll find the time to review before the next update. :)**


	19. Love

**Love**

 **Hello, good friends. Thanks so much for reviewing. As soon as the last chapter was posted, I went to work on this chapter because I just couldn't even contain my ideas or excitement. Oh my gosh, I was thinking about coming together with a playlist after I finish the story in like 90 or so chapters. But enough of that. Thanks so much for reviewing Franbunny, Yamiheart, Hotpotata, queen jj, and guest. It means so much. I'm happy that you guys found the time to review. :)**

* * *

 _Japanese Red Cross Nagoya Daini Hospital_

 _Myokencho, Showa Ward, Nagoya_

 _Aichi Prefecture_

 _Japan_

 _July 20, 2005_

Sasuke had been pregnant for six months and apparently, the child had been conceived in January, just a month after Saku was born. The doctors of Aichi were extremely skilled, but Naruto hadn't trusted anyone but Sai to do the c-section. Therefore, they would wait the extra hour for Sai's flight to make it to Nagoya from Tokyo, which wasn't too long since most of the hour had passed.

The baby was doing alright in Sasuke's stomach despite her early need for arrival. They had already put Sasuke in the operating room, cleaned his stomach, and gave him epidural and spinal block for any pain. The baby wasn't in distress, so the emergency c-section was out of the question, but it was definitely unplanned. Hell, it was hard to admit to the hospital that the couple had no idea Sasuke was pregnant.

The Namikaze's phone went off and he picked it up instantly. "Sai?"

"I'm almost there," The doctor murmured. "Just five minutes out. Make sure Sasuke is calm and not in any discomfort."

Naruto nodded and stood, going into the room and bidding Sai goodbye. The doctors had draped a curtain just below the raven's chest so that he wouldn't need to watch the surgery as requested by Sai. But he did request a cellophane curtain so Sasuke could see the baby being lifted out of his stomach. The doctors had questioned the method of keeping Sasuke awake, telling the skilled surgeon that general anesthesia that put the raven to sleep would be better. Sai had refused, telling them that putting Sasuke to sleep should only be used if there were further complications, much like the birth of Saku.

The blond came face to face with Sasuke, but the raven's eyes were squeezed shut. On side of his eyes, there were wet marks. Naruto sighed. Sasuke was trying not to cry.

Grabbing his husband's hand, he kissed it and asked: "what's wrong?"

"I don't know...just thinking about all this time and not knowing. And what if I hurt them? You know I haven't been to the hospital in months, only to take Saku, but Naruto," he stared at Naruto with intense sad eyes. "I've been smoking and… they're premature because of me."

"Sasuke, don't say that. This isn't your fault. The baby's going to be fine. Premature or not. They've got Namikaze blood after all."

"But, it is my fault. I should have taken care of myself better."

"If anyone's to blame, it should be me," Naruto whispered. "That's not your job. I should have taken care of you better. And I was stressing you out, you know that."

Sasuke looked unconvinced but he smiled in a disgustingly cute way. "God, I love you. Even when you're stupid."

"What's not to love about Ōmo?"

"You're right. You are pretty love-worthy."

Before Naruto could retaliate with a compliment of his own, someone cleared their throat. Naruto looked up; Sai was there with the other doctors, but he was smiling with amusement that Naruto always saw on him.

"First off: pure relationship goals that I need to tell my wife about. Second: Reo and Saku wanted to tell you good luck. And thirdly: I'm glad you managed to calm him down."

Naruto smiled big and went to greet his friend, pulling him into a big hug.

Sasuke tried lifting his head, but failed, sighing when he couldn't. "Is that Sai? I want to see him. Sai. Koko ni kite."

Sai laughed softly as he went over and stood by Sasuke. "How are you coping, mom?"

"Better now that he's here," he smirked in Naruto's direction, gaining a wink in return. "Did you actually see Saku?"

"Absolutely. That baby might look like you, but he's all Naruto in personality."

"Let me guess; he was being fussy and angry?"

"Hey." Naruto scowled offended.

They ignored him. "Of course. I've never seen a baby scowl that hard in my life. Although I must admit, an adorable scowler no less."

Sasuke laughed. "He only scowls when he's sleepy. You should see his temper when he's hungry. It used to be just cries, but he likes throwing his toys and swatting at people when he wants to be changed."

"That kid is nothing but Naruto." The two laughed with one another before Sai sighed in relief. "Are you ready to get this started? The procedure will only take 45 minutes or so."

Sasuke nodded.

Sai took a careful ten minutes to make sure Sasuke was very numb, which made Naruto trusts the doctor even more.

He used a knife to make a horizontal incision in the pale skin and the abdominal wall; along what would be the bikini line. It was low enough down on the pelvis that it would be covered up by underwear.

"Now that it's done, we'll make an incision on the uterus. Naruto, keep him happy and calm."

Naruto smirked and crouched to kiss his husband's forehead. The raven blushed deeply, but all his smile and eyes shone was proof of love. "You're my best friend."

"And you're mine."

Sasuke's heart monitor began to bleep fast and Sai sighed. "I said keep him calm. Not woo him to death." And then he was back speaking with the doctors in training. "Now keep in mind that a side cut is usually made to rupture the amniotic sac surrounding the baby."

He continued with the surgery carefully for thirty minutes; the baby was removed from the uterus. "Guess the sex, Sasuke."

Sasuke smiled into the air. "Girl?" He asked timidly. And his heart monitor beat rapidly again when Sai answered: "right on the target."

"Oh my gosh, let's name her." Sasuke grabbed hold of Naruto's shirt. "What are we gonna name her?"

"Well, remember it's up to you. And I know you love the S."

"Hey, Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

"She stayed in there for six months without us knowing, right? And there was no morning sickness, no pain, no kicking, no swelling, or hospital visits?"

"Right."

Sasuke smiled. "So she's calm. Like a tree." He took a moment to think. "Like a bell tree."

"Like a bell tree," Naruto clarified.

"So Suzuki is the perfect name for her. Suzuki Namikaze. What do you think?"

"I think it's perfect."

Sai took some time to lift the premature baby gently, and Sasuke saw how the tiny thing was moving around, although she wasn't crying. Sai cut her umbilical cord and tapped her face. She didn't cry, but she did make some gurgling noises. "What a calm little thing. Let me examine her."

It took Sai a few minutes to examine her alone and when he returned, he looked solemn.

"The good news is she's going to live. But if she stays here any longer, her survival rate is going to go down."

Sasuke couldn't move as he was being stitched up, but Naruto squeezed his hand to reassure him. "What is it now?"

"46 percent. But I'm going to get her to the NICU and come back alright. I know you want to hold her, but we should let her rest. Let her heal. She came into this world three months too early."

* * *

 _Japanese Red Cross Nagoya Daini Hospital_

 _Myokencho, Showa Ward, Nagoya_

 _Aichi Prefecture_

 _Japan_

 _July 21, 2005_

Suzuki Namikaze was born weighing four pounds and seven ounces. Due to her too calm breathing, Suzuki was placed into the NICU immediately, with a survival rate of 46 percent.

Sai said she should have had a number of problems and not just breathing. In fact, Sai was surprised that Sasuke hadn't miscarried early in the pregnancy.

Suzuki Namikaze was a charmed child. Her estimated time in the hospital would be two months. If they continued to nurture her properly, then she could be a healthy weight.

Sasuke yawned as he arose out of bed. He felt like he had just risen from a year-long sleep. When he tried to sit up, a hand stopped him.

"Take it easy, Sasuke," his grandfather murmured.

The young man smiled softly. "Oji. When did you get here?"

"Last night. How are you feeling?"

Sasuke grimaced. "My back really hurts and this headache has been nonstop since yesterday."

Oji nodded in understanding. "The C-section is a major surgery. The doctor said that you would need to take about a week and a half to recover fully. Even so, he knows you won't leave without until Suzuki is ready to."

There was no mistaking. Even if Sasuke would recover in a day, he wouldn't leave Suzuki in the hospital. He couldn't go home knowing that she would have to stay in the hospital on a breathing tube.

But then…. "I'm going to miss Neji's graduation." His eyes filled with sadness and Oji looked at him in pity. He didn't know what he'd do. Neji and Sasuke were already on odd terms and missing Neji's graduation would devastate the Hyūga.

"But Neji would understand, right? I mean, I didn't just plan on going into labor or plan on Suzuki being premature. He'd understand. He _has_ to." But he didn't know if he was trying to convince himself or Reo.

Oji blinked. "Sasuke, I know you've always wanted to make decisions on your own, but maybe Neji isn't the best kind of friend to be around. I've noticed that he's been changing a little and this friendship that you have is one-sided."

"Don't say that," Sasuke pleaded.

"Sasuke, the boy supports nothing you do. When you got engaged, he didn't support it. When you got married, he showed up late. When Saku was born, Neji did nothing but pick fights in the hospital. If he doesn't understand how vital your situation is, maybe you should let him go."

"Grandpa," Sasuke whispered. "This is Neji we're talking about. The same Neji you taught how to ride a bicycle. The same Neji that would hold your hand when you took us to your appointments."

"Sasuke. People change." At the blatant remark, Sasuke stopped and stared. "And I know that scares you. And if you don't believe it, look at yourself. You've matured so much, Sasuke. So much that I cry every time I think about it. But, love, Neji is different. I've learned that for many people, change is uncomfortable. Maybe they want to go through it, and they can see the benefit of it, but at a gut level, change is uncomfortable."

Sasuke looked over. Naruto was sitting there watching them, Saku asleep in his arms. The blond had a hand on his chin as he listened intently. At the end of the day, Sasuke was almost on his own side. Because now, even Oji was pointing out the harsh differences of Neji Hyūga. Even now, Oji had asked Sasuke to give up the unhealthy relationship.

"I can't give up on my friend," he muttered and he imagined it broke Naruto's heart a little, the way that Sasuke would choose Neji over his happiness, just like he would with Naruto. "I know he's been different, but it's probably stress. Being friends with anyone for over twenty years is no easy task. People change and drift apart and move on. But I won't give up on Neji."

"What if he gives up on you?" Oji asked. "I don't want to see you hurt, Sasuke."

"Neji won't give up on me," Sasuke argued. "He loves me."

" _That's enough,"_ Naruto hissed. Sasuke looked at him, but Ōmo was glaring at the floor. "If you're so pressed to go see him, I'll go in your place. And then he'll understand."

"Don't say it like that. Don't make it seem like I just like that he loves me." Sasuke crossed his arms. Naruto was being unfair. This was no different then Shikamaru defending Naruto. Even if the Nara wasn't romantically in love with Naruto, he still wanted Naruto in his life.

"I didn't say anything," Naruto murmured. "You're being paranoid because you're scared."

"I'm not."

Naruto only shrugged and went to staring at Saku. The baby was snoring softly, his chest pressed against his father's own. Sasuke bit his lip before glaring. "We talked about this, right?"

"Of course we did," Naruto sighed. "Nothing can come between us, And I belong with you, don't I?" Sasuke smiled shyly as his own words just days prior had been turned to him instead. "And I'm the man of your dreams.

"It's ruined. The moment. Gone forever."

Naruto laughed softly. "Like I said, Sasuke. If you want, I'll go to Neji's funeral." Sasuke stared impassively at him and he laughed softly. "I'm sorry. I couldn't resist. I'll go to his graduation and let him know the situation."

"But you don't even like Neji," Sasuke said as a matter of fact.

Naruto shrugged. "Ain't it the truth?" He muttered. "But I like you and for _you_ , I'll represent all five of us at the ceremony; me, Oji, you, Saku, and Suzuki. But Sasuke, our main priority is her. And you need to realize that. We aren't sure if she'll make it."

Without hesitation, Sasuke nodded determinedly. "She'll make it. I know she will. There's no doubt. She made it this far and she won't give up."

Naruto nodded at his husband's determination as someone knocked on the door. "Come in."

Sai poked his head in with a soft smile. "How's everyone doing? You alright, Sasuke?"

The raven smiled softly. "I'm doing better. My stitches are still sore, so I'm taking it easy."

Sai came in all the way pushing a wheelchair. "Well, as you know, bonding with your child in the NICU is just as important as any other form of bonding. Suzuki is all set up, so would you like to see her?"

Naruto smiled the widest and before anyone said anything, he raised his hand and almost screamed. "Yes, please."

Sai blinked in amusement. Saku whined in his hold but made no move of waking up. Sasuke stared at his husband. "Thirsty much?" he asked.

And the blond couldn't help himself. His middle finger went up as he muttered: "She's my daughter."

"Naruto," Reo scolded.

"Sorry."

Sai laughed heartily at their interactions. "I'm assuming that's a yes. First thing, however; parents can visit and spend time with their NICU babies. The number of people who can visit a baby in the NICU may be limited, but parents are usually allowed to stay most of the day, except during evaluation." He pointed to Oji and then Saku. "Other family members can visit only during specific hours and only a few at a time. And siblings may not be allowed in the NICU because children have a greater risk of passing on an infection. So, would you like me to take Naruto and Sasuke first, sir? And then I'll come back to get you?"

"That's absolutely fine. They should be the first to see their daughter. And I'll stay with Saku."

Sai smiled softly. "Than it's settled." Naruto stood, walking over and handing the sleeping Saku to Reo. He turned to Sasuke and pointed to the wheelchair. "Ready?" At the utter thought of being picked up by Naruto, Sasuke nodded excitedly, making his husband chuckle. "So cute." Gently, he placed one arm under the bends of Sasuke's knees and one at the top of his back. Sasuke squealed and threw his arms around the blond's neck, hugging him instantly. "Ochitsuku."

Carefully, he placed the raven in the wheelchair and smiled. "You alright?" he asked. Sasuke nodded tiredly, laughing when Naruto kissed his forehead.

Sai sighed softly. "Alright, lovebirds. I'm about to throw up rainbows."

Naruto laughed and moved behind the wheelchair, pushing it to the door as he followed Sai to the NICU.

It took them four minutes to get to the busy section. And when they walked in, Sasuke gaped at how different it was from the average hospital nursery. The nursery was quiet, soft, calm. The NICU was busier with lots of activity, people moving around, and beeping monitors.

Sai ushered them to a sink. "Let's get your hands washed."

Naruto nodded, but his eyes stayed focused and calculated on the nurses and parents that recognized him and his reputation instantly.

 _Isn't that Namikaze?_

 _The Cartel leader?_

"Sai, who watches these babies on a daily basis?"

Sai smiled. 'Well, you have your regular charge nurse, neonatal nurse practitioner, the primary nurse is the one assigned to your baby. Sometimes medical students, pediatricians, speech-language pathologists."

Naruto sighed. He was going to look like an asshole for asking this, but…. "Is there anyway, you could separate her from the rest of the kids. Put her in her own secure space."

Sasuke looked up. "What? Why?" he demanded.

"Is something wrong?"

Naruto sighed. "I know it sounds odd, but there's too much going on in here."

"Of course, Naruto. It's the NICU."

"Just listen, Sasuke. There's a lot going on in here, and as harsh as this sounds, she's not like the rest of the children. She's a Namikaze. Not only that, she's Ōmo's daughter. I don't know any of these people. I don't know what they're capable of. I only know that she's open to danger the moment, I stand over her."

Sai sighed. "Of course. I remember back in Nagasaki, you had Saku placed in a room with Sasuke and men guarding the door. How could I not think about this? But, Naruto, this is different. This is more intense care and I don't have jurisdiction in this hospital." Naruto sighed. "However, you do."

Naruto thought for a moment. "There's a drug house two miles from here."

"And?"

"And I have a few men that can come in here in the next twenty minutes. Or they're fired. And then I'll talk to the head of the hospital." Naruto smirked at his quick thoughts. "And the little princess will be safe."

Sasuke sighed. "Get ready. This place is about to be smelling like blood, sex, and dirty money when he brings men in."

"Sasuke," Naruto scolded, but he was more offended now that the psycho was smirking at him. "We can continue, Sai. I'm going to make a few messages."

"Alright. Suzuki is very settled into the unit. Most NICU babies are on special feeding schedules, depending on their level of development or any problems they have. For instance, your daughter is too premature and too sick to eat on her own, so she has a feeding tube that runs through the mouth and into her stomach. And to help her grow, we've placed her on a high-calorie diet. We've also put her on a medication to stimulate her breathing. Here she is."

Suzuki was small. Really small. She was laying on her back, her tiny fists not even having the energy to ball up. Sasuke awwed softly, but he looked really sad as he stared at her. "Am I allowed to touch her." Sai nodded and Sasuke reached into a hole to gently grab the sleeping infant's tiny arm, the length of half a pencil. "She's so tiny."

"Her eye color is the same as yours, Sasuke, since that will always be a dominant trait. Her hair color, and can I say that her hair is growing very fast for an infant, is blond."

Naruto's head turned. "Huh?" Blond wasn't a dominant trait.

Sai nodded. "It's blond. But it's more of a pure blond, almost white. Not like yours, Naruto."

The man nodded. His blue eyes scanned the tubes around his daughter. "What's all this equipment?"

"The tube in her mouth is the feeding tube. It's running to her stomach. We have yet to feed her the milk that Sasuke already pumped, but when we do, this is how. The feeding tube shouldn't be painful since they're taped in place so they won't move around and cause friction. However, if they're in place for a long time they can cause erosions in the stomach or nose where they rub. So we change them routinely." He pointed to the clear box around Suzuki. "Right now, she's on an Isolette, which is a small bed enclosed by clear hard plastic.

The temperature of the isolette is controlled and closely monitored because premature infants frequently have difficulty maintaining their body temperature. Holes in the isolettes allow access to the infants so the nurses and doctors can examine them and parents can touch their babies. Like Sasuke is doing right now."

"And this?" Naruto questioned, pointing to the small needle in her palm.

"The IV. It's used for medicine and other fluids Suzuki might need. All babies in here have an IV. This monitor is attached to her stomach so that the staff is constantly aware of her vital signs. Right now, we're using phototherapy for her and the other premature children."

"Phototherapy?"

"Yes. Premature infants or those with infections also have jaundice, a common newborn condition in which the skin and whites of the eyes turn yellow. Phototherapy is used to help get rid of the bilirubin that causes jaundice. The infants might lie on a special light therapy blanket and have lights attached to their beds or isolettes. Suzuki is laying on the light therapy blanket. Phototherapy only lasts for a few days. And finally, the ventilator. The tube in her nose is helping her breath properly."

"I'm so glad she's being taken care of." Naruto murmured. And he was. Suzuki was being treated carefully and he was happy he had called Sai.

"Me too."

They spent the next thirty minutes in the unit before Sasuke grew really sleepy. Then Naruto was on his way to taking him back to the room. When he walked in, Oji was sitting on the bed this time, tickling his hyper grandson. The baby was squealing and laughing as he kicked softly.

Oji looked up, smiling. "Believe it or not, but he's actually in a bad mood. Despite his laughing."

Naruto helped his lover back into the bed carefully, and then frowned when he tried unlatching the pale man's arms from his own shoulders. "What the hell? Sasuke, let go."

The pure Uchiha glared and hissed before fully letting go.

Naruto frowned at him and rubbed his neck. "Why are you like this? Oji, could you give Saku to your psycho of a grandson?"

The older man nodded and handed him off. Sasuke grabbed hold of the child and instantly, Saku grew fussy. He whined and whined. And then he kicked because he wanted to be out and about. Sai blinked before ushering Reo out to the NICU.

Naruto smiled apologetically. "I'm going to make a few calls, alright?"

Sasuke frowned. "So you're just going to leave me here to deal with a personality that's all your faul-"

Naruto was already out the door.

"Great. Betrayed by my own family." Sasuke looked back at his whiny son. "Everyone's gone, so all the attention is on you," he whispered. "You can stop being overdramatic now."

Saku whined a little and looked around the empty room. Then he smiled up at Sasuke silently, as if he were waiting to be praised.

"Uh oh. Saku, what is it?" He raised a hand and the baby giggled. "The tickle monster!"

Outside of the room, Naruto smiled against the door.

* * *

 _Conrad Tokyo_

 _5 Star Hotel_

 _Minato, Tokyo, Japan_

Shikamaru looked around the penthouse suite before smirking. It was nice and of course, she would choose something nice.

"If you stand on the elevato' too long, you'we going back down. And I won't buzz you up again." but there was no real bite behind her words.

He stepped off and smiled softly at Sha. And sure enough, she looked as beautiful as ever in her tank top and jeans. Her usual gun holster was strapped around her waist. "You going out?"

She nodded. "Jozt to make a few wuns. ave to make sa' no one is playing with ouw money." She nodded at the duffle bag on his shoulder and watched him dump it on the table.

"Here's the delivery. 40 kilos of the good stuff." Shikamaru opened the bag. "Minato gave it to me yesterday. Said it's straight from the plant."

Sha shook her head. "That old man won't give up cwime even if it bites im on the ass." Shikamaru laughed softly and Sha looked up to smile softly at him. "Okay. I have to ask. Is e cute?"

It took a moment for Shikamaru to actually register what was said and when he did, he blushed rapidly. "Is he cute? Who?"

Sha laughed softly. "Shikamawu, I know you."

Shikamaru sighed but proceeded to tell her about how he had indeed hooked up with his physical therapist and how he probably wouldn't see him again anyway. "I didn't mean to hurt you, Sha...I just…"

"Shikamawu, Wlwhat kind of fwiend would I be if I ated that you wa' appy? Yes, we ad an affae', but you became one of my gweatest fwiends. You elped me love myself. And I ope I elped you."

Shikamaru smiled brightly, his eyes filling with tears. "Oh, you did. Anata wa watashi o totemo tasukete kuremashita. You helped me understand that I have another friend in this world. Yeah, maybe not as close like Naruto, but important no less. One that won't forget me."

Sha's bottom lip poked out and she moved to hug him tightly. "Aww, poo' baby. Maybe you should twy to talk to im. The otha man."

Shikamaru laughed softly. "I'll think about it, but I probably won't."

* * *

When Shikamaru finally left Sha's suite, it was two hours later. They had talked about everything. From Sasuke actually being pregnant again to Nagato adopting Yahiko and finally Bolade going back to Nigeria.

After the divorce, B had given Sha the house, so Shikamaru was confused since she was in a suite. Sha felt stupid for admitting it, but the house felt weird without B in it. Which Shikamaru fully understand. Sometimes, a first love was hard to be forgotten, no matter how hard that love was.

The raven sighed softly. He remembered his first actual love. It wasn't necessarily his first crush or first date. He had plenty of those. Karin until he was twelve, Ino until he was thirteen and….Naruto.

The man blushed slightly as he stepped off the elevator. Karin was his first kiss. It was sloppy and wet and she was older. She had kissed plenty of boys and was more experienced. He was nine and scared and chubby, but he thought he liked her a lot. And she kissed him right by the Persimmon tree on Oita street. His first person to date was Ino. She was in love with him and he was anxious so they made it work. Until he found out she wasn't the best person to like. And then his first love was Naruto. That one had always been hard to admit because it was always unrequited. And the worst part about it was that Shikamaru was okay with that.

His first love was someone he'd always compare everyone to; Karin wasn't as beautiful as her cousin, or Ino wasn't as selfless as her victim, or Sha wasn't as protective as her leader. And his first love was someone he would never truly forget, no matter how many times he tried to convince himself otherwise.

Shikamaru didn't ever want to be forgotten. And so his first love would always remain deep in the folds of his heart because his first love was the only person that received all of him.

He liked Karin until he was twelve, Ino until he was thirteen, but he would love Naruto forever. First romantically, and now brotherly.

He had never told Naruto about his feelings, but he imagined if he did, Naruto would have returned them. Because Naruto wanted to save him from whatever was trying to kill him inside his soul. But those feelings would always remain unrequited, even if he did love Naruto. And he was glad. Because Sasuke Uchiha's soul was so beautiful that even God had wondered his own potential in creation. And Shikamaru didn't want Naruto with anyone else.

He returned his guest past to the front desk, smiling shyly at the woman there and left the door. The air was cold, but it felt like home anyway. The raven sighed contently and waited patiently for the valet driver with his car.

He was three years old when his father had brought him over to the Kabukicho district. Three when his father said he wanted to see his friend Minato Namikaze. And three when he met his friend Naruto. And his soul had looked at the blond haired boy and said jovially "There you are. I've been looking for you everywhere."

The man sighed as his car pulled around, stepping forward, he smiled as the driver got out, practically begging for his keys. The man that got out of the car, however, wasn't the first driver. It was "Orthodox?" He squeaked out, the heat in his body rushing to his stomach and dropping like an anchor at sea. And sure enough, it was the Romanian immigrant, with his cross necklace and grey hair. He looked at Shikamaru for a long while, not saying anything. "What are you- what are you doing here?"

Hidan sighed and closed his eyes, resting against the hood of the Nara's car. "Te iubesc."

Shikamaru stared blankly before a dark brow raised. "Huh?"

His former therapist had been hitherto leaning against the hood with a small smirk on his face like he had accomplished a dangerous mission. But when Shikamaru asked, one eye opened and he glared at the ground, his cheeks tinted in the noon sun. "Shit," he hissed. "This moment was a lot better in my head."

Shikamaru glared. "Hidan, explain yourself? What are you doing here?"

"Shut up for a fucking second while I think. I'm probably about to be arrested soon-"

"What?!"

"-So I don't have much time. Okay, first thing first." He raised his hands in a calm motion as if it would stop Shikamaru from reaching for the gun in his jacket. "I've fucked so many people. Men, women, even old guys. I've fucked most of my patients."

He looked to Shikamaru, only finding the man glaring hard enough to shoot him with his eyes. The raven's teeth were bared and his neck was red.

"Fucking mother of a bag of dicks, that sounded so much romantic in my head."

"How is fucking old guys romantic to you?" Shikamaru sneered. He wanted to give zero shits about what Hidan was saying. Wanted to just speed up the conversation and land a bullet on the island of his handsome mouth that worked wonders. But…. _I've fucked most of my patients._ The sentence was nothing but a scratched record. Shikamaru was one of those patients. Shikamaru was just another….

"Not that. Oh please, _fuck,_ not that. Look, I've fucked a few people that I thought needed saving, right? And I thought I'd fuck you since you were sad at the time. But, I'm not like that."

"You are."

"..."

"..."

"Okay, so _maybe_ I'm like that. But I thought I'd fuck you and save you. But I realized that I can't save you. No matter how hard I try, I can't be whatever the fuck your best friend is to you. I can't be the god given messiah to you. And even then, I still fucked you."

Shikamaru blushed. "Stop saying that."

"Would you prefer making love?"

"Don't say that either, you damned Romanian!"

Hidan chuckled. "I still had sex with you because you were different. Usually, I stop having sex with people right in the middle of it and leave them to jack off or finger themselves, but I stayed with _you."_

The Nara's brows creased. "uh, thank you?"

"Listen. I stayed because I feel something for you. Like, shit, it's crazy and damn weird to explain to you, but I love you."

Shikamaru stepped back, bewildered, and almost stumbled. His heart beat heavy but more rapidly was the drumming of his wound. Hidan had come here to confess? Or was this some sort of joke?

"Don't lie to me," he whispered. "Never lie to a human whose greatest skill is murder."

"Goddamn, you. If you'd just listen to my fucking declaration of love, I wouldn't have to stand here in the cold for so long. We could be fucking by the fireplace."

"Hidan," the raven couldn't resist scolding, and his eyes narrowed when Hidan laughed softly. _Foul-mouthed bastard,_ he thought.

"But since you've been gone, I haven't even been able to stop thinking about you. Your happiness, your anger, everything about you makes me want to see you every single fucking day. And I swear to God that I won't forget the moment I realized it. It was so fucking magical. When I fell in love with you, it was a temporary madness. It erupted like an earthquake, and then it subsided. God, that's some cliche shit."

"Hidan," he said once more. But it was softer now. Like a whisper not even strong enough to conquer the wind.

"I love you. I knew it the minute I met you. I'm sorry it took so long for me to catch up. I just got stuck. I was being a fucking cunt."

Despite his language, Shikamaru couldn't deny that the last line was a bit silly. So he covered his mouth in the cool air to laugh soft as it. Hidan smiled too and looked down. "I love it when you laugh."

And then the Nara sobered. It was so hard. So hard to believe the grey-haired man. Love was hard. Love didn't come easy and it sure as hell left you dead when it ran away. But, the last time someone promised to care about him the way Hidan was practically begging, was years ago when Naruto Namikaze had sworn to be his best friend until the end of forever.

'I'm going to stay here until all I can see is you smiling. Even when that smile gets real, I'll stay. I'm not leaving you behind.'

"I…" he began, but trailed off looking toward the ground. It was easier to look at the ground when he didn't want to look at anything else. The ground was a stepping stone and so far from positive. The sky held the stars, the sun, and the moon, all things that made a man change his mind. The ground held the worms, the cracks, and the dirt, things that kept a man steady and stable.

"What do you need to me do to prove that I actually love you? What do you want? Do you want the moon?"

Shikamaru couldn't help but smile in amusement at the childish remark, but when he looked up, Hidan stared in all seriousness.

"Just tell me yes and I'll throw a lasso around it and pull it down for you."

"Hidan?" Shikamaru called. And when the man grunted in return, he continued. "That's the first time I didn't hear you curse in three sentences."

"Is that what you want, because I-" he stopped as Shikamaru took four steps to sprint toward him and grunted as the Nara jumped on him, throwing his arms around his neck.

"No. I don't care how you talk. It's a part of you." He laughed and cried all at once when he felt Hidan's arms tightening around his waist.

"Shikamaru." The therapist blinked, realizing the way the man had sprinted to him. "Fuck, you're so stupid, Shik. You're so damn stupid. Your wound. You're not supposed to run when it was just healed."

Shikamaru only laughed. He was alright, besides if he did get hurt, Hidan would take care of him.

Just as he moved back and leaned down to kiss the hitman, the sound of scuffling could be heard. The sound of shoes rushing against the pavement, battling time. "Shit," Hidan hissed.

Shikamaru stared concerned and his mouth remained touch starved. "What's wrong?"

Hidan sighed. "Holy fucking Trinity, we were just getting to the good part. And your mouth looks so…"

He trailed, but it didn't stop the Nara from smiling shyly and asking "kissable?"

And Hidan couldn't resist if he tried. "No. Fuckable. I was thinking fuckable. Your mouth looks pretty fuckable right now."

"Hidan?!" He laughed as Shikamaru pushed him away roughly, a huge red splatter across his pale cheeks.

"There he is! That's the man that stole the car!"

Hidan let go of Shikamaru and looked to where four men had just arrived, one of them the valet Parker, and everyone else policemen.

"Okay. So you remember when I said I didn't have time because I was about to get arrested? Well, I may or may not have attacked the valet driver in the parking lot so that I could get the car and surprise you myself."

"Arrest him. Put the handcuffs on him."

"At least buy me a drink first." And of course, as Shikamaru predicted, Hidan had a remark for that.

Shikamaru moved backward as Hidan was put into handcuffs, who was laughing hysterically.

"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or d- Machiavelli-sama?!"

At the policeman's dramatic cry of his known name, Shikamaru nodded calmly.

"Um. Do you know that this man took your car?"

Shikamaru crossed his arms and Hidan could swear he saw a tick mark of annoyance appeared. "Yes, I do."

"Is there something wrong, sama. Usually, you would take care of someone like him."

Shikamaru sighed. "I would have if the idiot wasn't so close to me, considering that he is my boyfriend."

A silence that follows a remark had three stages; registering, shock, acceptance. Which is exactly how it happened. The man cuffing Hidan thought, before gasping. When Shikamaru's face didn't mold into a playful smile, the man apologized profusely, uncuffing the man.

Hidan sighed and rubbed at his wrist. The policeman continued to apologize to Shikamaru until the second in command raised a hand to stop him. "It's alright. You're lucky it was me and not Ōmo or widow."

Hidan smiled once he seemed his wrist okay. "Boyfriend, huh? You're better at these confessions then I am."

The police and the valet driver stared at Shikamaru. "Shut _up_ , Hidan."

Hidan smirked in return and let out a big fake throaty moan. "Oh yes, master. _Yes._ "

And the splattered blush looked like a massacre now. No matter what, he couldn't win with him.

* * *

 _Japanese Red Cross Nagoya Daini Hospital_

 _Myokencho, Showa Ward, Nagoya_

 _Aichi Prefecture_

 _Japan_

 _July 21, 2005_

Reo smiled softly as he came back into Sasuke's hospital room. "She has Mikoto's face," was the first thing he said.

Stored in the back of his photographic memory, Reo didn't think he'd remember the baby face of his own daughter. Not after it had been 41 years. And especially not after he could only remember her dying face.

The older man moved into the room fully but rubbed at his arm. Suzuki looked just like Mikoto, from her eyes to her nose to her lips and the way her eyebrows scrunched in her sleep. Just like her.

Sasuke looked up at his grandfather and Naruto stopped texting with rapid fire. Even Saku had stopped sucking on his mother's nipple when he noticed the shift in mood.

Reo tried smiling. He really did. His lip went up a little and his eyes crinkled close to shut. He tried. But…

* * *

 _The third and final child was not necessarily a mistake, but after the miscarriage in 1952, and the stillborn in 1954, the couple had stopped trying to have a child. They went through the process quietly, trying not to do what they had done in the last two pregnancies. And somehow, the baby lived._

 _Reo was given the honor of naming her. But he still didn't. Kamiko had given birth to the baby and given herself to death._

 _And her dying wish on that hospital bed was for the child to be named Mikoto. And Reo agreed because although it was not the name he always wanted, Mikoto was the perfect name for a child that survived her grandparents, aunt, sisters, and mother._

 _Reo had just brought her home from the hospital and the house was chilly. So he went to the bathroom with her and turned on the hot water. There he sat with the child, trying to think of what to do next._

 _All his family was gone besides Mikoto, so he held her tightly and close and prayed._

" _Virgin, most holy, Mother of the Word Incarnate, Treasurer of graces, and Refuge of sinners, I fly to your motherly affection with lively faith, and I beg of you the grace ever to do the will of God._

 _Into your most holy hands, I commit the keeping of my heart, asking you for health of soul and body, in the certain hope that you, my most loving Mother, will hear my prayer._

 _Into the bosom of your tender mercy, this day, every day of my life, and at the hour of my death, I commend my soul and body._

 _To you, I entrust all my hopes and consolations, all my trials and miseries, my life and the end of my life, that all my actions may be ordered and disposed of according to your will and that of your Divine Son. Amen."_

 _Mikoto whimpered and he realized he had pushed her away slightly during his prayer. The man shushed her, bringing her closer. "It's okay, Mikoto. Daddy has you."_

 _ **NSNS**_

" _Mikoto will fall asleep at exactly 12:30. No matter what she is doing. I myself have been surprised for years." He smiled fondly at some of his more worrying memories._

" _The first time it happened, I was watching her draw at the table and she just dropped. I rushed her to the hospital only to be told she was sleeping. But enough of that. When she wakes up, please give her the food I've already prepared. Please watch her when she goes in the bathroom. When she was two, she crawled into the bathroom on me before and has tried urinating while standing many times since then."_

 _The man inhaled. "All in all, she will be the perfect child to watch because she is indeed the perfect child._

 _ **NSNS**_

 _He couldn't imagine losing the boy; who was Mikoto everytime he smiled, Fugaku every time his scowled, Itachi each time he cried, and Kamiko when he bragged._

 _God had made Reo. And then some angels got really jealous and they vowed to make his life hard. He was a shining diamond when the angels had taken a bat, covered in radiation and fire, and shattered him to pieces. But he still shone when he met his wife, and so the angels took Kamiko and separated his shining pieces all over the world. It would take Reo years to find them again. But Mikoto was his daughter, and on a beach one day, she had found a shining piece of a diamond that made Reo's broken eyes water and his thin lips quiver. It should have been a secret, but Mikoto was five when she displayed the piece. And she was so excited._

' _ **Tousan, I found a pearl!'**_

 _And the angels heard it. They returned to earth to find every shattered diamond piece and they covered those pieces with clumpy mud, creating car accidents, factory deaths, and deaths during childbirth._

 _God found out about it. And he felt horrible. So he went around the world in five minutes on July 23. He had found every muddy piece of diamond and he cleaned them, putting them back together before time ran out. Before Mikoto died with the child still in her. And guilty, God had brought those pieces to Reo and said "This is Sasuke. No doubt, I am giving you Sasuke to make up for the wrongs of others." To just imagine losing Sasuke was heartbreaking._

* * *

Oji looked up at Sasuke, his hand stopping on his arm; his smile so fake, it was twisted.

Sasuke frowned softly. "Oji," he whispered, but he didn't continue. It was hard for anyone to speak with Reo when he got in his moods when there was nothing to think about but death.

It wasn't Sasuke, but Naruto, that stood and hugged the man promptly. The Yamaguchi clung to his grandson in law's shirt, clenching his teeth to stop the bleeding of his eyes.

"Naruto," he murmured. He didn't know what to say. That he couldn't look at her? Couldn't look at his great-granddaughter because she looked like someone so dead and dear to him?

Naruto rocked the old man side by side. "Shh. Don't-"

"Don't cry when I'm down," he muttered. "I know."

Naruto chuckled in return. "Maybe it's Mikoto. Maybe she wants the chance to love her son and see her father again. We'll never know until you get close to Suzuki, right?"

Reo nodded. He and Sasuke both knew that Naruto didn't do spiritual. He wasn't ever a spiritual person and he hardly believed in God. But to go to such a length to make Reo feel better, it was incredible.

And Sasuke really didn't know when to stop falling in love with him.

* * *

 _Madoka Namikaze's Home_

 _Tokyo, Japan_

 _July 21, 2005_

Minato enjoyed being anywhere Madoka was. His younger brother was calm, collected, a single flower in the middle of a barren field, its roots deep enough to live forever.

So anywhere Madoka went was just as calm and stable, and thus, until Minato got a job to fully care for himself, he chose to stay at Madoka's home.

He wouldn't stay in Misaji's home. He loved his brother, but Misaji was an odd hoarder. They didn't call him the executioner for nothing. The man had countless bodies in his home. But they weren't victims that Naruto had in the drug house of Russia. They weren't people that had done wrong to him or the cartel, but people that had done wrong to society.

Serial killers set to be killed some time or another but had all mysteriously disappeared.

The body of Hiroshi Hidaka sat in Misaji's wall after he had killed four prostitutes in 1996.

And Futoshi Matsunaga, a Japanese serial killer who both defrauded and tortured his victims in what was publicly known as the Kitakyusyu Serial Murder Incident, lay lifeless under the concrete of his basement.

Tsutomu Miyazaki, also known as The Otaku Murderer or The Little Girl Murderer, was a Japanese serial killer, cannibal, and necrophile who abducted and murdered four young girls in Saitama and Tokyo Prefectures from August 1988 to June 1989. Minato wasn't sure how Misaji had gotten the man, but he had his dismembered body on the floor of his attic.

And Minato was sure the novelist Norio Nagayama, who killed four people with a handgun, was somewhere in Misaji's house.

Misaji was weird. And he always had been. He did the worst things to the worst kind of people. But that was how he was. Minato wanted to believe that it was because Misaji had the greatest intentions for society, but really he didn't give a shit.

Misaji killed serial killers and rapists for two reasons: Their crimes were too brutal, punishable by death and there was only one monster allowed in all of Japan, and its name was Naruto Namikaze.

"I know you're thinking about me."

Minato jumped at the sound of Misaji's voice. The other man was sitting on the couch, facing him with a scowl. "What? No, I wasn't."

"Yes, you were. Every time we argue, the left side of your top lip lifts up. You're thinking something bad about me aren't you?"

There was really no use in arguing with someone that shared more than 90 percent of his DNA, but just before he could retaliate with something that could fool the smart man, Nagato walked in Madoka ahead of him with a big smile on his face.

Minato smiled at his nephew. "How you doing, kid?" And then his eye caught the orange hair hiding shyly behind Nagato's leg.

It was a young boy, no more than six years of age maybe. His eyes were brown, like the small amount of honey before it was mixed with more to grow darker. And he was staring wide-eyed Minato and Misaji.

Madoka smiled softly at the child. "it's alright. They won't bite. They may look like mean old wolves, but when you get to know them, they're as nice as cubs."

"Hontōni?"

"I promise."

And then the boy's eyes were back on Minato, the only one that cared enough to really stare back. So there they were, man and child, intimidating and intimidated. Misaji only shook his head and looked away.

"Are you…" the boy began and the kitchen grew quiet so that it could hear his next timid words. "Hachiman?"

Minato smirked big and wide. "Depends on if you're worthy enough to ask. Who the hell are you?"

"I'm Yahiko."

"Onajimi no namae," he mused in return. "Did you know that Yahiko is the name of a famous Japanese sprinter?"

Yahiko's eyes widened slightly. "Really?"

"Hai. Born in this very city, February 23rd, 1886. Died 22 days before his birthday in 1954."

"Oh. Well did you know that Hachiman is the name of the Japanese God of war who was worshipped by the samurai?"

"Of course. They don't call me Hachiman because I'm handsome."

Misaji huffed, muttering something along the lines of "please don't encourage him."

Once Yahiko moved from the shield that was his father's leg, Nagato moved in fully. "Yahiko, this is your uncle Minato and your grandfather Misaji. Dad, uncle," he smiled. "Meet Yahiko Namikaze. It took me almost a year to adopt him fully, so be nice. And no scaring today."

Minato couldn't place it, but something about the kid reminded him of his own son. And he just couldn't get it out of his head no matter how he tried. "He reminds me of Naruto."

"Me too," Misaji muttered. "There's something but I can't place it, even though it feels obvious."

"I remind you of uncle Ōmo?" The boy asked excitedly.

Minato laughed boisterously. "Hell yeah, you do. Say, kid. You ever try to land a handstand from the top of a bunk bed."

Nagato sighed, being strong enough not to shudder at the memory of Naruto's sprained and purple wrist. "At least until he's ten, be civil uncle."

"What the hell is that?" Civil?

"Take him fishing or something." Nagato's suggestion almost had the power to kill him and it made Minato wonder how he himself survived in raising Naruto.

Minato sneered softly. "I know your father raised you better than that."

Misaji nodded, agreeing with his triplet. "It's true. I did."

Nagato just sighed. As a child, he never won an argument with them and maybe that would never change. He looked around. "Where's Karin? I thought she wanted to meet him today."

Madoka laughed softly. "She went back to the old house for something. Said she'll be here in about ten minutes."

* * *

 _Nara Household_

 _Tokyo, Japan_

 _July 21, 2005_

To Hidan, Shikamaru was more than human. He was a fairy. Something that no one ever saw, something that everyone ever wanted.

The man shifted on top of him, his cheek sunken into Hidan's chest and his damp hair splayed about. Shikamaru's after sex cuddling was closer to a coddle anything. Even though he was always on the receiving end, the Nara liked intimate touching. He liked rubbing circles on Hidan's chest and playing with his hair. He liked proving that he cared.

"You alright?" Hidan whispered. He wanted to move; shift a little so that he could stare at the fireplace and not the ceiling, but Shikamaru was sensitive to that kind of movement.

The raven nodded. "Yeah. Just thinking."

"About me?"

"No about us. What we are. Or where we're going from here."

It was understandable for Shikamaru to think, and even more for him to be afraid. His heart was closed off to a single person and right now, it wasn't Hidan. So he said those things.

"You scared?" He hummed back.

"I don't know."

Shikamaru wouldn't say more. But Hidan knew. Saying more would push the Nara to a place he couldn't get back from. So he kept his fears and words where they belonged: in that ashtray buried in his chest where a red heart used to be. Its sides rusted shut.

Hidan smirked and suddenly, he hugged Shikamaru really tight across his shoulders. "I really fucking love you. And if you leave me, you're going to have to kill me. I'd kill people for you. And I know that you have friends to do that for you, but it feels a thousand fucking times better when it's someone that has sex with you."

"Hidan," Shikamaru groaned.

"No really. I love you more than I hate everyone else."

"Really?"

"Yes. And I really can't stand those cunts. They suck...dick and all that other bullshit-"

"Your mouth is filthy. Aren't you Orthodox?"

"Oh yeah. I know all about the scriptures. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. Ephesians 4:29."

"So why curse? Don't you want to give grace to those who hear and all that?"

"I do. Complain all you fucking want, but you like my cursing. You like that I know the curse words of seven different languages. So with this face, this dick, and these words, I'm giving grace to you every day from now on."

"Hidan!" The grey-haired man began laughing loudly when Shikamaru punched him. But he didn't miss the small smile when he had said 'every day from now on.' Nope. Didn't miss it at all.

* * *

 _Former home of the Namikaze_

 _Kabukichō, Tokyo, Japan_

 _July 21, 2005_

"Where is it?" She murmured softly, rummaging through delicate things stacked against one another.

The basement of the home they had grown up in was the only everlasting thing about the house. It had been constructed from quarry rock, its walls thicker than a medieval castle, but the house on top was just wood.

The basement was a small room with only one way in or out, somehow another exit would have to be made if uncle Minato ever chose to fix it up. The ceiling was low and just under the rotting beams that suspended the floor above were windows, long and skinny, mostly covered in soil that lightened the darkness. And still, it was the most important thing in that house.

It wasn't necessarily how it looked, but what was inside. Photo albums that Uncle Minato had carefully crafted growing up, under the watchful eye of Maso, then Betsy, and finally himself. Photo albums of the growing up. And old things that Madoka wanted to keep; Kaito's, Nagato's, Karin's, and Naruto's toys. Karin had pushed herself to the toy section, searching savagely in the box labeled Naruto. That was Betsy-chan's handwriting, cursive and caring.

"Where the hell is it?"

And then it caught her eyes and a tickle was left on the side of her heart. The train was purple and yellow and it was Naruto's favorite toy growing up. The woman blinked when a droplet of water hit the train. Looking up at the moldy ceiling, Karin waited for another drop to come, but it never did. And then she laughed softly. Because the ceiling wasn't crying. She was. But she was just so happy.

* * *

 _Former Namikaze Household_

 _Kabukichō, Tokyo, Japan_

 _May 1990_

"Oh no." She watched him cry with excitement. "Fasten your seatbelts. Man the board. It's going to be a very bumpy stop."

Naruto crashed the train against the carpet, watching it slide onto its side, making rumbustious noises as it tumbled and twisted.

"In a shocking miracle…" he spoke like the news people. "No one was hurt and everyone was able to go home with their families. Ladies and gentlemen, thanks to the conductor of the train. Naruto Namikaze really is the man of the people."

She had bothered him then, picking a fight with him, lying to her father on him. Just because he was small and quiet and didn't know how to defend himself. And then she had begun to argue with the big stupid Nagato because all he did was favor Naruto over her.

And Naruto had grown quiet, as he always would when he did nothing wrong. Naruto was the youngest in the house and he was also the smallest. He liked being alone in his own world and he came out a lot more different than his cousins. He was an outcast.

Naruto whistled and whispered, oblivious again to the world around him.. "Naruto, people are calling you the hero to all. Dōomoimasuka?"

The boy pushed his chest outward, trying to appear more than what he was. And the sight was so silly, Karin sighed too. Because Naruto didn't deserve to be bullied around.

"I feel that if someone else were in my position…" he trailed with a whisper. "They would save the people too."

"Sorry." The girl muttered.

* * *

Karin stood with the train in her grasp and left the basement, breathing in the fine air. It smelled like memories.

It would only take her about ten minutes to get to her father's house and on her way, Karin wiped her eyes and laughed when a memory came upon her, rendering itself important.

When she arrived, she'd already seen Nagato and Misaji's car in the driveway. Sighing and checking herself once more, Karin got out of the car, clutching Naruto's old toy in her hand. She had asked her cousin before if it were okay to give it away, and Naruto had given her the craziest look. When she explained her initial discomfort, he understood. She thought the train should be passed onto Saku or even the baby that had just been born, but Naruto had said it was fine.

And really, what better way to welcome Yahiko to the family?

The woman knocked on the door softly, and she could hear soft shouting and the pads of feet against the floor.

"I'll get it!" It was the yell of a child. Happy and carefree.

And then she heard her older cousin yell in the background. "Yahiko, don't open that do-" Karin blinked rapidly when the door was yanked open before her. "How many times do I have to tell you."

If Karin was Naruto, she would have probably pulled a gun out on the boy and pushed it against his forehead. If Karin were Naruto, she would have made the boy shit his pants. Naruto was a lot like his own father; tough. And when he taught someone a lesson, he made sure they remembered it.

But Karin wasn't Naruto. So she just looked down at the cute boy and smiled. Without talking, she pushed the toy into his hand. His eyes widened slightly and with excitement, but she could tell he was trying to contain it. After all, the toy was absolutely breathtaking, even after all these years.

"What's this?"

She crossed her arms with a smirk. "Nagato told me you were smart. Don't tell me you've never seen a train before. Otherwise, I'll have to discredit him."

"It's a train.." He looked up at her. "But why did you give it to me?"

"It's a welcome to the family. That train is special." She whispered it as Nagato smiled in the back.

Yahiko looked around with a mischievous grin and leaned closer to whisper back "what's special about it?"

"That train...has a thousand lives. It's immortal. And it's going to live longer than Ōmo himself."

"What?! No way! Really!?"

* * *

 **Japanese Words Used Here:**

Koko ni kite means "come here"

Ochitsuku means "Calm down." Sasuke getting all excited just because Naruto carries him is life.

Anata wa watashi o totemo tasukete kuremashita means "you helped me very much."

Hontōni translates to "truly."

 **The chapter is titled Love. Cocaine is an addiction that users love. And love is an addiction itself. And doesn't love go a long good way in this chapter? There are different kinds of love we see. It begins with Naruto and Sasuke fluffiness and their love shown for Suzuki before she's ever born. And then Oji finally disregards the fact that Neji was a person he cared for Sasuke's sake. He cares deeply for his family, and this love is also shown when he sees Mikoto in Suzuki. Sasuke really loves his best friend.**

 **Although the ShikaSha is over, they still love each other deeply and want what's best for one another. And Hidan finally confessed to Shikamaru and nearly got arrested. XD. I love writing him. And Karin's love for her family. This was really just a small chapter away from all the scary that goes down in their world.**

 **I love writing this story for you guys. And thanks so much for reading. Don't forget to review. Until then.**


	20. Bazooka

**Bazooka**

 **Hello friends, this chapter is going to be pretty gory. Pay very close attention to the dates as always and very close attention to the things that happen between characters. Also, always be sure to read the quotes at the beginning if there is one. So let's thank my peeps, otherwise known as chapter 19 reviewers:**

 **HeartSNS: That small monologue of Shikamaru's made me want to write a NaruShika story. And it's totally a plan for Naruto to find out, maybe even Sasuke. But it's a total surprise. Reo is a beautiful character to write and we have an obvious favorite coming with Suzuki who looks so much like his late daughter. And the big shocker was definitely, Sasuke's pregnancy. Can we just...XD...can we just appreciate how awesome Sasuke is because I love writing him, even though Naruto's my favorite to write.**

 **Queen jj: Okay. I live under a rock and I've never heard of this show. XD But imagining Sasuke on a show called "I didn't know I was pregnant"...I can't even deal with it.**

 **Unknown guest: Yes. I am really happy too, love. :)**

 **Franbunny: Best thing to write is the family fluff. Now we have even more baby fluff with Suzuki.**

 **Hotpotata: Reo! Reo! Reo! We need more Reo! Sasuke and Naruto are seriously the power couple of this fic. If other couples aren't striving to be like them, what's the point? Suzuki is definitely going to be a favorite of Reo's. She's already so cute. And I have to agree, this ShikaHidan is where it is. I'm glad you found the reveal of Shikamaru's former love for his best friend. It's true that had Shikamaru ever told him before they met Sasuke, they would be together instead. We'll have to see more of their friendship, but there's no doubt that Naruto would never choose between Shikamaru and Sasuke. I feel like he loves them both equally, Sasuke romantically, and Shikamaru on a friend level. I don't think he would ever hurt Shikamaru. The triplets are very interesting as well.**

 **Yaoifanigirl102: Thanks so much for reviewing. It means so much.**

* * *

" _Over the course of his life_

 _My husband went to prison a total of eight times_

 _Serving a total time of 2 years, 6 months, and 6 days._

 _And never once did he come home with a frown._

 _Sasuke liked prison, even if that's weird to say._

 _And that's why we called him Felony."_

 _Naruto "Omo" Namikaze._

* * *

 _Incheon International Airport_

 _Jung-gu, Incheon, Seoul_

 _South Korea_

 _July 22, 2005_

 _7:00 PM_

"Roh-Gakha, the plane is set. All passengers have been checked thoroughly. And the pilots will wait no longer than five minutes."

The president fixed suit. "Took them long enough," he muttered. "The more we take these planes, Min-Seo-ya, the longer it takes for my men to check all passengers."

His assistant pushed up her glasses. "It would take far less time if we took a private plane," she muttered monotonously. "Without the mass amount of normal civilians. One far more suited for _the president."_ His title was spoken cryptically as she looked away from him.

Roh wasn't a popular president amongst his people, and definitely not a favorite in his assistant's eyes. Nonetheless, he was a president and deserved respect.

"Min," he warned.

The woman put her head down. "Sorry."

The phone in the pocket of his slacks vibrated against his leg and the man sighed in confusion. This phone, as dangerous as it was for the president to have it, was only used for personal people very close to him. Who would be calling when they knew he needed to take this plane trip to North America.

"A moment, Min." And he moved away from her, missing the way her red eyes narrowed onto his back.

" _Mr. President, please._ They'll take off soon and this will be another failed diplomatic mission."

"A moment, Min," he said again. The man answered the phone and placed the cold device against his ear. "Yeoboseyo."

"Hello, you have a prepaid call from,"

And then a voice "Azrail."

"An inmate from the Fuchū Prison Corrections Center. This call will be recorded and subject to monitoring at any time. Thank you for using Inmate Calling Solutions. You may begin speaking now."

Instantly, Mu Hyun scowled. "What do you want? I've done everything you asked of me. And I told you I wanted nothing to do with you anymore."

"Listen. You did me a favor and I'll return it this once. Don't get on that plane."

"Mwo?"

"You heard me, don't get on that plane. A little dove told me that this bird won't stay in the air for too long. And watch out for that assistant too."

The teetering sound of the line being dead made Roh pull the phone away from his ear. With a soft frown, he looked back to his assistant, who stood glaring hard at the floor, distant and cold. He had never really paid attention to Min before, but had her eyes always been red; soft speckles of roses littering over scatters of purple light?

"Yes," he feigned as if he were still on the phone. Min looked up sharply, but the president averted his eyes. "I'll be sure to do that. I'm glad you caught me earlier…"

He talked until he heard the engine roar outside the airport. Looking out he watched the front of the plane lift up. A silver wad of energy, ready to soar and travel the world.

And then the chaos came. The sound was thundering and it echoed as harsh as God's Wrath. The cacophonous sound of bending steel, colliding metal and burned rubber made Roh believe what he saw was true; the back of the plane had exploded when the plane was at least seventy meters in the air.

The plane started rattling as if trying to stay alive, and Roh could hear people crying behind him, watching out the window in shock.

"Mr. President. Please move away from the window. We don't know what could happe-"

The plane crashed into the ground, spiraling out of control. When it was coming toward the large window of the port, the true chaos had begun. People running, screaming, trampling over one another to get away from the tumbling engine that had never even touched the window.

Rog couldn't run. Couldn't speak. Couldn't really think about nothing but the reality of his assistant's sudden disappearance.

* * *

 _Airport Bathroom_

 _July 22, 2005_

"We got compromised," she muttered angrily. _Fuck,_ it made her so angry. He was _this_ close. This close to being out of their lives for good; nothing more than a corpse that Naruto could brag about; no longer a nuisance.

Nagato's voice on the phone made her frown. Of all people, it had to be Nagato to hear that she had failed to get Roh on the plane. Nagato, who always favored Naruto. Who always thought Naruto would be better at anything, although he has never said it. "What do you mean 'we got compromised?'"

The girl shrugged and pulled off the black wig on her head. Really short didn't look good on her and she'd rather embrace her red locks then deal with looking like a secretary. "Exactly that. Someone called him on the phone and the plane took off."

"Karin, the objective was to be aggressive. We know that his current assistant didn't like him and she agreed to do this once. We can't get that chance again."

Karin scowled softly. She knew that. There was no need to tell her again. "Well, we can try another time."

"Another time, Karin? Do you understand how important this mission was?"

Karin didn't really care. If the man had lived another day, then he just did. There was no use whining about it. Humans lived off second chances. At least she did. "I don't know."

"This man gave away information that resulted in the death of one of our friends. Rock Lee was important t-"

"Rock Lee wasn't my friend," she scowled, but it didn't feel right to say. Like she was putting on a mask that was getting easier and easier to wear. Like she was the bad guy here.

"That's unfair to say," Nagato murmured with a hint of scolding. "No matter if he was close or not, he was a part of this cartel. He was a part of Naruto."

"What do you want me to say," she questioned, exasperated. "I don't like that I didn't get him on the plane either. Besides, the man's lucky."

"Which is why hearing this will hurt Naruto's pride." And the statement made her stop maneuvering with hair. It would. It's going to hurt Naruto's pride like hell. She couldn't imagine feeling like God only to have the inability to kill off one of his creations. And what would Naruto tell the soul of his dead friend? 'Sorry, I'm trying to kill the man who ratted you out, but it's complicated.' Fuck, she really fucked up. And she had fucked up a lot. Despite her envy for not ruling the cartel, Karin knew why she could never be Ōmo. She was careless, unfrazzled by bonds, and selfish. "It was a simple mission, Karin." And still, she wouldn't let her pride rest.

"If the mission was so simple," she sneered. "Why didn't you send Naruto to do it."

"Well, maybe I should have because Naruto knows how to properly execute a situation. Naruto isn't brash and lazy."

Karin rolled her eyes. "Yes, I'd love to hear more of the things I haven't heard before. All you do is talk about Naruto."

An awkward silence followed before she heard Nagato sigh in guilt. "Look, Karin, I didn't mean that."

"Of course you didn't."

"It's just, everything's been so stressful lately. Trying to enroll Yahiko into school, trying to figure out who's giving out our information. And Killer B is in Nigeria, so we're down a man. I just thought, by killing Roh, we'd get the upper hand. I didn't mean that."

And then she sighed. She knew that. Nagato was their balance growing up, and although he favored Naruto, who was shy, he never once gave up on Karin. He protected them until they were able to do it themselves. Of all the harm he'd ever done, it was to no one but him. She was being childish, but… "Look, I'm going to start heading back now. You let Naruto know." She really didn't want to be the one to tell Naruto. It wasn't necessarily telling a child that his stuffed animal somehow disappeared since Naruto glared icily rather than sadly. But it still felt really bad.

* * *

 _Japanese Red Cross Nagoya Daini Hospital_

 _Myokencho, Showa Ward, Nagoya_

 _Aichi Prefecture_

 _Japan 23, 2005_

Her body is sore when she wakes up and it's sore when she goes to back to sleep. There's something in her nose and her arms and her legs. They're pokey and the big shadow is always adjusting it so it doesn't hurt.

But the thing in her nose hurts the most sometimes. It shifts when she breaths even though the shadow changes it sometimes. She likes that shadow a lot. It's always nice to her. Even when she's whining and in pain, it's nice to her. There are many shadows and she likes most of them.

The shadow that rubs her stomach and calls itself mommy. What's a mommy? She doesn't know what it is, but it must be nice. Because the shadow that calls itself that is almost like an angel. She can't ever make out its face but somehow, she knows it's beautiful.

And then there's a shadow that calls her something often. She remembers because it's the first shadow that addresses and talks to her. She remembers when the thing in her nose shifted too much and she could feel the water in her eyes. And her lips moved, but then that shadow puts something on her head and rubbed carefully, softly. "Aw, Suzuki," It whispers often. "Don't you cry when you're down."

And it works. It's funny and odd, but it works. The water stops coming and then she's kicking. It feels funny when her lips curve upward, but it's funny when something odd comes from that shadow. It's deep and heavy, but happy. And then she does it too.

But her favorite shadow of all is the quiet one. It doesn't say much, but when it does, there is nothing but soothing words. Like that 'mommy' shadow, this one calls itself something. It rubs her head and stomach, pokes her ear. And sometimes it whispers "It's going to be alright. Grandpa is always here."

* * *

 _Conrad Tokyo_

 _5 Star Hotel_

 _Minato, Tokyo, Japan_

 _July 23, 2005_

Sha stared out the window of her penthouse suite over the city of Tokyo. She had left home when she was only fourteen, but the memory was growing blurry with each passing year.

The only thing she could remember now was that Tokyo was so much different than Nigeria.

Nigeria was a fading memory, so Sha had grown to call this city home. The penthouse window was so large, it reminded her of a storefront. In the morning, she liked watching the sunrise and the birds travel pass, buffeted by the winds that whistled through the hotel as if to remind Sha that she was in their world now.

The city below was so far away, like another world, those ant-like people and all their problems were of no more consequence than temporary static on intercom.

And Sha could get used to this. Watching the early morning sunrise, the birds, and the bustle of Tokyo while the early morning news anchor spoke vigorously on the large flat screen in the kitchen.

At the mental note, the woman turned down the birds to listen to the anchor.

" _Agreed, Daigo-san. Investigators in South Korea are suspecting that it could be foul play. If you look closely at the video, you'll see the engine of the plane explode first. And then the front end just before the plane takes a terrifying crash to the surface."_

Sha turned away from the orange sun to stare at the television. On the screen was a shaky video, obviously filmed by a watching civilian. The plane hit the ground in a heap of fire before the clip ended abruptly. The woman's head turned. _The explosion,_ she thought. The woman crossed her arms. Reo had to be on that plane. Karin would have followed through, giving Sasuke a nice birthday present.

" _Given than Roh Moo-Hyun, the South Korean president, was supposed to board the plane and that two bombs were suspected to be on the plane, investigators are pushing toward a terrorist attack; a failed assassination attempt."_

Sha's eyes widened a little. Failed? It couldn't be. Karin would have done her absolute best to get him on that plane. Was something else involved? Or _someone?_ Was Karin alright?

The woman sighed.

" _Other than the investigation, civilians have gathered at the airport to mourn the victims of the explosion."_

And then she winced. That was going to hurt Naruto so badly. His pride. Sha moved away from the window and the living room, going to her bedroom to finish packing. Her flight to Nagoya would be taking off later, but it wouldn't hurt to have everything prepared.

And she wanted to have all of Suzuki's and Sasuke's presents ready. The woman made her way to the closet, moving past her large window in the process. She nearly tripped over herself when she tried stopping. Sighing, Sha moved back, squinting out the window.

There, by a small building, she could see a man standing there in all Black. Although the summers were warm in Japan, he wore a hat with three holes on the top of his head. A ski mask. Sha leaned forward, hiding herself a bit when she noticed he kept looking up; high up; at her window. The man had pale green eyes and his hair was a very sickly blond, nearly white like the photos Sasuke sent of Suzuki in the NICU. He was so out of place. And Sha had a natural instinct.

Whoever the fuck he was, he was looking for her.

Whoever the fuck he was, he was going to die.

The woman moved to her closet and kneeled onto the floor. Her soft hands roamed the wood until they found a small latch. Carefully Sha lifted the latch, and the floorboard lifted too.

The gun stock she kept in the hotel was a safety precaution. After Rock Lee's death, it was okay to stand on shaking knees. They were dealing with an experienced enemy; one of their own.

Sha's pretty brown eyes spotted the M40 Sniper Rifle before she grabbed hold of it with delicacy.

Since 1966, each M40 was built from a Remington 700 bolt-action rifle. And each variation was being upgraded. The rifles had many sub-variations in telescopic sights, and smaller user M40A5, Sha's weapon, incorporated a detachable magazine and a threaded barrel to allow for the use of a sound suppressor.

The woman smirked as she loaded her favorite gun. Standing fully, she moved back to the window and unlatched it, letting it slide open just enough for her to fit her suppressor through the crack.

He was still there, watching quietly, but this time he had some kind of phone in his hand. And as he stared up at Sha's window, he spoke into. Sha ducked enough so that she could still see him. Aiming, she sucked in a large breath. Breathing would only maximize the recoil. It needed to be a clear shot.

The moment Sha pulled the trigger was the same moment the man fell to the ground, limp to the world. She looked behind him and sure enough, the deep liquid of red was sprayed on the ground in the shape of a windshield wiper's path, an evident outcome of the shooting angle.

The Mohammed glared softly at his lifeless body. "You wa' spying on the wwong woman."

But the moment of superiority had been short-lived. Because five minutes after the nameless suspect had died, a tremor came from outside the room. An explosion. No doubt, it was the sound of a barricade, a wall, door, or elevator being blown to pieces.

It was her door. It was chaotic. And she could feel the explosion in her chest.

Sha inhaled sharply and dived back to her armory. The woman shakingly grabbed a gun holster. Wearing only a sleeveless undershirt and a pair of jeans, she didn't have anywhere to actually equip the holster. However, she tied two around her thighs, sticking a Scandinavian pocket knife and two small pistols in them.

There was some whispering outside her room and judging by the sound, they were still standing by her exploded door. But then their footsteps began moving around. She listened. Two kinds of movement to the bathroom. Three to the kitchen and living room. One coming toward her. Six people.

She reached for a random AR as the steps grew closer and closer. She couldn't load it. Not enough time. And her fingers clasped the wrong parts of the gun at the wrong time.

"Ona zdes'!" He screamed and lifted his weapon just as hers was loaded. Sha was knelt on the ground already, but getting lower into a dramatic position so that her bed could shelter her was tough. She jumped sideways, using all of her left ankle to twist on the ground.

The hiss that she let out was violent; her teeth bared shut, but spit still came out as tears brimmed the corners of her eyes. The hiss was enough for a scream.

Already, she felt the heated throb of her ankle. It was broken. And it was burning. But she had to push through. They should have known better. Just staring at Sweet Lips of the Namikaze Cartel was a death sentence she was willing to execute. And if she couldn't kill these simple men, could she call herself captain?

She sat up to spray the first man with bullets. After shifting with each bullet, he fell back dramatically, giving Sha time to stand on her broken ankle.

It hurt so bad. The woman hissed and hopped to her door, putting a small amount of pressure on the ankle so that she was limping hard. Stopping by the door with a heavy pant, Sha clutched the gun to her chest.

They were Russian, the first man she killed giving that away when he yelled 'she's here.' Sha knew a bit about a few languages, so she understood it well. But what the hell were the Russians doing here?

Slowly, the woman moved her head out only for bullets to spray in her direction. Sha hissed and grabbed the back of her ear.

When her hand was brought forward, the woman sneered at the sight of blood. They were more experienced than she initially thought. Then she smirked. She was more experienced though.

Grabbing one of the pistols from her holster, Sha shot twice out the door, grinning when one of the intruders yelled in pain.

 _Two down_ , she thought vigorously. Four more to go. The woman looked to the side. If she could just dive into the living room pillar-

Sha didn't take time to think about. She had no time. When she dived for the pillar, the woman was relieved to know that the only pain she could feel was the throbbing of her ankle. Even when they kept shooting.

The shootout was almost unfair. Four heavily armored men against a young woman of 23 years old. She really felt bad for them.

Sha crawled quietly toward the front where they had been crouched, aiming still at the pillar that she dived for. Sha shot two men skillfully.

Once that was done, Sha watched the last two largest man bum rush her. They were heavyset and they knew this if them dropping their guns for a physical fight was anything to go by.

One man grabbed hold of her broken ankle as she moved back. She didn't wince. She couldn't. Wouldn't. Not with them in front of her. Not so that they could see her pain. Skillfully, Sha kicked rapidly at her perpetrator. He was stronger, but it was enough for her to grab the Scandinavian knife and stab him where the armor couldn't protect him.

Right between the shoulder pads and the plastic face mask. His neck. What she lacked in strength, Sweet Lips compensated tremendously in speed.

Her knife was precise, and in less than a second, it had gone into the side of his neck, twisted as it came out, and went back in as it had before.

"You bitch!"

The man still alive spit when he yelled, angry and bitter. He tried jumping at Sha, his knife clutched tightly in his grip, but Sha leaned back far. When he stabbed down at her, he stabbed his friend. She pushed the pistol into the dead man's stomach and shot twice. Only one went through him and the last attacker fell to the ground with a cry of pain.

Sha breathed heavily, panting against the body before pushing him off. She stood on her good leg, leaning to the side like Joō often would. Reloading the AR, Sha pointed at the dying man on the ground. He was sneering at her, but when she bit her bottom lip, the man blushed and the tip of his tongue went out over his top lip.

 _Fucking chump,_ she thought. But when she spoke the words that came out icily were "Who sent you?"

The man kept staring for a moment before she asked in Russian. "Kto vas poslal?" He came to his senses and she wanted to nod with menace. "Yeah, bitch. I'm smarta than you think. Now, who the _fuck_ sent you?"

And still, he didn't speak. Sha lifted the gun higher and he raised his hands in a surrender. "Wait. I am worker for angel of death. Worker. Simply. So please…."

He trailed and Sha's eyes narrowed as her head went to the side. "You thought that you wa' going to come in a', fuck up my penthooze and live? Let me tell you something. I'm a lot stwonga' than you. I'm a lot smawta' and a lot fasta'. And I come fwom a cawtel of bloodthissty villians."

"Please," the man whispered.

Sha frowned and lowered her gun. "I'm sowwy," she muttered. "As a sweet pesson, I would let you live with a wawning to yoa' boss."

An image of Bolade came into her mind and Sha smiled, lifting the gun. "But I'm jozt like my ozband. I'm an unfo'giving wild ass dog nigga."

She pulled the trigger and the bullets of the AR ran from the gun, jumping into his body to hide. And even though he was dead with the first shot, Sha kept shooting until the wooden floor was ruined too.

 _It doesn't matter if he's dead,_ Bolade muttered. _Keep shooting._

The woman sighed in heavy relief, but the pain never stopped. She needed to get downstairs to the lobby.

Limping, Sha fixed her wife beater seeing that her bra was out and made her way to the elevator. Despite the gunfire and the explosion, it still worked. And she sighed, leaning against the metal wall of the box.

Who the fuck was the angel of death? Why had they targeted her? Who was dumb enough to target her? Anyone in the Namikaze Cartel for that matter?

Before she could think further, the elevator doors screeched open. Sha whimpered when she leaned up. Hopping out, her eyes scanned the lobby.

The desk operator smiled mockingly at her like she knew something Sha didn't. And as sudden as a slap, Sha knew now how those men easily got up to the penthouse even though Sha ordered for the floor below her to be clear. She saw now the utter betrayal of trusting people.

"Good morning, Ms. Mohamm-"

When Sha lifted her gun, the woman had stopped talking and her face marred from innocent to fear-stricken. The Mohammed was livid; done listening to stories. So the woman never stood a chance. When Sha pulled her indeed finger back, the gun recoiled downward. And instead of a beautiful dripping dot right between her eyebrows, the woman's final moments of death were masked by the ugliness of the wound on the right side of her nose.

There had been people in the lobby. Some were her own very confused bodyguards, undercover as simple hotel guests. Others were actual simple hotel guests and it hasn't been hard to separate the groups. Sha's group had drawn their weapons in suspicion while others began screaming.

With precision, she shot in the air. Everyone stopped to look at her and she stared at the ground. "I want theese enti'e fucking place locked down. No one gets in. No one gets out."

She was going to get through every security camera there was and figure out just who the fuck was messing with the cartel.

* * *

 _Japanese Red Cross Nagoya Daini Hospital_

 _Myokencho, Showa Ward, Nagoya_

 _Aichi Prefecture_

 _Japan_

 _July 23, 2005_

A sleeping Sasuke is just as beautiful as when he's awake and full of life. It doesn't matter if his mouth is opened partly and that he's drooling. What matters is how calm he is when he's asleep. His brows are straight and his eyes don't flutter. He's just like he is when he's awake; calm, unbothered, and lovely.

Naruto watches Sasuke shift in his sleep for a good five minutes, trying to fight the morning that was stronger. It makes Ōmo smile softer than anyone would ever see him smile. Slowly, like the sun rising, one of those pale eyelids rise with a twitch. The dark is a gorgeous, even when it's just woken up after a long nap. Even when it's still tired, it's gorgeous. Naruto loves those eyes. They were the darkest eyes he'd ever seen, holding a color that represents strength, power, mystery, but mostly elegance. Elegant Sasuke. His Sasuke. The open eye blinks before they settle on the blond man that is laying on the couch, propped against his elbow, smiling. And Naruto can't help the way his stomach drops when the smallest hint of a smile breaks through the physical and the spiritual. Sasuke's happy to see him and his hand goes up to rub awake the other dark eye.

Sasuke shifts so that he's laying on his backside because he wants the light from the window to get into his eyes. When all that's done, and sleep has left the room grumpily, he turns back to Naruto and smiles. Sasuke's smile is so fucking beautiful and even though the man is arrogant as hell, this is one thing he doesn't know. And Naruto doesn't plan on telling him either. Sasuke's smiles are like the rainbows; rare, curved, and life-changing. And, God, he's so pretty. Naruto is sure men aren't even called pretty, but it's an exception for Sasuke. Because no matter what gender, pretty is pretty. Not even that, Sasuke is beautiful. Gorgeous to look at. And Naruto really can't get enough of the man. Even after they're married and have children, Naruto can't help falling in love again. Like he was on that campus and had run into Sasuke all over again, knocking his books over and receiving the prettiest scowl known to man.

"Hey, handsome."

The man's thoughts are broken enough so that they scatter in the room and hide. When he looks up, Sasuke is still smiling, but he looks more involved now that sleep is gone. More in love. Ugh. Sometimes, Naruto wonders how Sasuke had the power to make Ōmo feel all flustered and sappy and fluffy and just...ill. Ōmo didn't do cute. But, for Sasuke, there's an exception.

"Hey, yourself," He all but whispers in return. And Sasuke's smile somehow gets brighter. "Happy Birthday."

The raven does what he always does when he has to take something in and believe it. He blinks cutely, sits up, straightens himself, and smiles in recognition. And then he turns to Naruto to say as a matter of fact "I'm 21."

"That you are."

And the other man smirks. "I'm your age now." And Naruto doesn't care to tell him that by the time October hits, he'll be 22 and that won't be the case. Sasuke is smiling like Saku does when he watches One Piece and Naruto can't even get over it. He just sits there dumbly, his mouth parted, taking in the smug smile, the skin, and his dream. And when Sasuke turns to him, he manages to take all the air that had been waiting for Naruto to use it, despite being over there. And Naruto can't help it. He has to voice these words while he still feels like it.

"I'm never going to get used to you," He whispered.

And being the man that he is, Sasuke doesn't take it the wrong way. Instead, he has the reaction that Naruto is hoping for; he blinks, brings both his lips in between his teeth awkwardly, and his face goes red. The reaction that tells the blond that Sasuke won't ever get used to Naruto either. "Don't say stupid things when I wake up." But it has no bite and Naruto doesn't mind it one bit regardless.

"It's true though. You know those really stupid things teenagers go through? The cliches? Losing your breath when your crush is staring back at you? Watching them leave the room? That's me every day."

And even though he's still blushing with enough fire to rival the sun, Sasuke smiles all flustered. If there's one thing he likes more than anything in this world, it's Naruto giving him attention. Just looking at him makes Sasuke happy. It's been that way since they met. And Naruto has known since. "Really?" The raven asks with so much shyness and joy.

And Naruto just wants to throw this man over his shoulder, leave the room, and find a place they can get married in again right now. But he doesn't do that. He just nods. "Really. I can't get over you. I love you already, but I keep falling in love."

Once those words are out, Naruto can't take them back. He hardly shows any true emotion, only if Sasuke and he are alone. But even then, Ōmo isn't a sap. He watches Sasuke stop smiling abruptly. And then the man opens his mouth in shock and then he smiles big and blushes and covers his face with a groan. "Oh my God. You do this all the time. Yameru." He falls back on the bed, but then he sits back up, his hands still covering his face. And much to Naruto's amusement, the raven innocently peaks out between his fingers and says "okay, but say it again. The last part."

Naruto can't help but chuckle. "I love you already, but I keep falling in love-" Sasuke's squealing like a fucking pig before he can finish and _now_ Naruto is embarrassed. Now he's in the spotlight. And Ōmo doesn't do spotlights...unless they involve murder or drugs. Sasuke gets up out of his bed, and before Naruto can scold his husband about the healing stitches, the wind is knocked out of him when Sasuke squats down on his stomach. "Sasuke."

The raven only smiles and adjusts so that Naruto is unwillingly on his back and the pale legs on either side of his ribcage are crushing them. "Say it one more time," he whispers.

Naruto wants to huff, but he won't actually get another chance like this for a while. Despite his look, Sasuke isn't really lovey-dovey either. He's seldom moody and hates to be touched. And then he's just not in the mood or really busy with work and Saku. So he smiles and says "I love you already, but I keep falling in love."

"One more time."

This time, Naruto huffs. "Sasuke," he begins. And then "No. I'm not saying it again." Naruto doesn't do this a lot and as a man with a lot of shit going on his head and heart, he can only be all cute with Sasuke for a number of minutes or hours.

"Say it," Sasuke demands cooly.

"No."

"Please."

"Sasuke," he warns.

"It's my birthday," The raven returns with equal force.

Naruto groans and looks away when his neck and cheeks grow hot. "I love you, Sasuke. But every day, I fall in love with you all over again." It's said different now, so Sasuke seems satisfied.

He scoots down Naruto's body and gently flops on his husband, laying his head on his tan chest. Naruto's chin tickles with the hair touching it but he doesn't mind. "I love you, Naruto."

"I know."

"Hey, Naruto?"

The raven stands and there's a competitive smirk on his face. It confuses the blond but turns him on no less. Competitive Sasuke. "Let's wrestle or something. I'm feeling restless and I have too much energy."

Naruto couldn't deny that one. Even after sleeping for more than 12 hours, Sasuke was hyper as shit. Still, wrestling was something odd to hear this early in the morning. "Wrestle?"

"Yeah. You know the sport where you try to take you oppon-"

"I know what it is, Sasuke. I just don't think we should be doing it with your stitches and all."

Sasuke smiles. "I'm alright. It's been three days and they're fully healed. I can feel it. And I know it. Come on, it's my birthday" Sasuke's smart. There's nothing he doesn't know, but Naruto doesn't want to chance anything. He doesn't want to hurt him.

"Maybe we shouldn't. I don't want to take any risky chances even if you do feel fine. Let's not do this."

Sasuke smirks and moves back. "So you don't want to force me to the ground?"

And it's so suggestive that Naruto can't help the sudden action of biting his own lip when a sinister image comes up in his head. Sasuke has a hospital gown on and….he stops, blushing like mad before standing and cracking his knuckles. Sasuke may be fast as hell, but Naruto is more bodyweight than his husband. "Let's actually do this, pretty boy. If I win, you're mine."

And he can't help but smile when Sasuke starts stretching and hopping a centimeter off the ground to get himself pumped up. His fingers curl enough so it looks like he's about to grab and he smirks psychotically. "Let's scrap, Meinu."

And even though it's an insult, Naruto can't help but laugh at this fucking psycho. He loves Sasuke. While the blond is busy laughing, Sasuke takes it as a chance to charge. He does enough to get his hands on Naruto's waist and push, but he doesn't have enough momentum to take down the 244 pounds of muscle that is Ōmo. He only weighs 135 pounds.

Naruto looks down when he stumbles a bit, to see Sasuke bent in front of him, trying to knock him down. With ease, the man brings Sasuke back up and the two clash. "I'm stronger than you." But it's not meant as a smug insult, because Naruto is a modest man. It's said to warn the Uchiha.

"Yeah, but I'm faster." And to prove his point, Sasuke's foot goes out to crash against Naruto's shin. Naruto doesn't even see it coming, and when they both go crashing to the floor, he doesn't care to admit and admire that Sasuke is fast as hell.

He smiles, but if he wants Sasuke as badly as he does now, he has to win. Quickly, while they were both coming back to their senses from the fall, Naruto repeats Sasuke's first move. Grabbing hold of the raven's waist and knocking him back. Sasuke gasps when the wind actually is knocked out of him and he laughs. Just as Naruto comes to pin him down to the ground, he rolls to the side and hops up.

"It's gonna take more than that to get me down," he smirks.

Naruto stands too, panting, more aroused than tired. He loves how competitive Sasuke is and Sasuke loves how Naruto rises to the bait. "You're right." Skillfully, Naruto rushes his husband, slamming him into the hospital wall. Sasuke grunts and pushes his forearm into the pressure point of Naruto's neck, just like the blond had taught him. Naruto winces, his vision going blurry for a moment before he lifts one of Sasuke's legs, pushed himself between them and grinds. Hard enough for Sasuke's attack to falter.

Sasuke stares in shock before saying "You fight dirty."

And Naruto can't help but shrug smugly. "I'm a drug dealer."

"Hn. I forfeit."

Still, Naruto doesn't move his leg hand off his husband's waist and he doesn't let go of the leg he still has in the air. "That means I win." The match is over quickly; Sasuke doesn't have enough power to push the blond off him. But neither men minds, both too aroused to actually keep wrestling.

"That means I'm yours."

Naruto licks his lip. It's what he needed to hear. He thanks God that it's Sasuke's birthday and then he thanks the Devil for having put Sasuke in the hospital gown. What a sin it was to think about fucking his husband against the wall in the hospital. "Let me just get you in your Birthday suit."

It takes a moment for Naruto to get the gown off Sasuke completely because they're so absorbed in just kissing fervently. He takes more time sucking at Sasuke neck and listening to his low moans then unlatching the buttons of the suit.

When they're both fully undressed, Naruto lifts Sasuke's legs into the air. He puts one over his shoulder but keeps the other leg in his palm so that he can feel Sasuke's soft skin. "Ready?"

"Always," the raven whispers back. And it's a delight, truly, to see Sasuke's mouth open as if he's shocked when Naruto pushes two wet fingers in his asshole. "Oh."

Sasuke blinks up at Naruto and Naruto can't resist bending down just to kiss him, show him someway that this was all he needs. With his fingers still in, Naruto spaces them out like scissors. Sasuke moans and pushes his head as far back as the wall let.

"Pinning you down is my favorite part," Naruto mutters as he moves his fingers all around Sasuke's heat. In and out. Side to side. Up and down. And Sasuke is a mess in his arms. He doesn't know to hold on to Naruto's shoulder, the wall, or to fuck himself against those fingers. It's all too much.

"I'm going to fuck you so hard, Sasuke." His fingers brush against a sensitive spot when he whispers this in the raven's pale ear. Sasuke loses himself for a moment, whimpering Naruto's name as the pleasure racks his body. While the tremor is still there, Naruto pushes a third finger in, making Sasuke stop mid-moan. His breath hitches and his eyes narrow dangerously toward Naruto.

The joy of taking control of Sasuke is especially true when he telegraphs that he's going to do it. That he shows Sasuke, tells him, that it's coming so that Sasuke can put up the biggest, best fight he has in him.

The older man goes back to the side of Sasuke's head and bites at the top of his ear. "I'm going to make you want it."

"Naruto," Sasuke warns, but he whimpers in the end when Naruto brushes past that spot. Struggling a bit, Sasuke manages to get a grip on the wall so that he can fuck himself better against those calloused fingers. Naruto is a tease and he wants Sasuke to want it worse than he already does. So he puts a hand on his lover's hip to stop him, smirking when Sasuke glares. His fingers brush the prostate again and the glare is gone for a moment.

"But we both know the truth when I do this. As strong as you get, as smart as you are and as dedicated to the fight as you can be—the moment I want to take you, I can." Sasuke's head is tilted back now and he moans at the husky whisper. "So keep struggling, grunting, narrowing your eyes at me. I want that, too."

"Naruto, please. Fuck me already. _Please._ "

His second favorite part is when Sasuke stops struggling. He never knows if it's a feint or not, and that is alluring beyond his ability to state.

"Narut-"

He pushes his lips against the other. And Sasuke goes limp.

Instead of telling the raven what he wants, he wraps his wrists around Sasuke's and pulls him, pins him deeper against the wall. He lets go of the thigh and used his free hand to guide the pale hands above his head. Then he strokes him, runs his hands over Sasuke, cups his nipples and his neck.

He takes special pains to play with the parts that he sometimes neglects. He runs his knuckles down Sasuke's spine. He strokes the side of Sasuke's neck. He holds Sasuke's hips in his hands to show the raven just how much bigger he is than the other.

Sasuke groans and looks up. He stares at Naruto before whimpering. "Oh my God. You're so fucking handsome."

And somehow, it's enough for Naruto to move his fingers. They're both left cold for a moment before Naruto skillfully thrusts into his husband.

Both of them gasp into the others' mouths, awash in hot, electric pleasure as his shaft pushes in deeper and deeper until his hips meet Sasuke's. He can feel silken walls slick with need, making it easy for him to push into his waiting folds. Drawing back, Naruto begins to pump into the other man in quick, short bursts, grunting as one hand goes to his neck to cradle and hold Sasuke's head close to his for the kissing, the other on the pale hip, sticky fingers partially wiped off on the soft skin.

Sasuke gives into his own craving, partially paralyzed by the ecstasy surging through every nerve in his body, overloading his biological circuits.

With every thrust, he exhales, moving his hips without thought against Naruto's movements, their rhythm synced so easily. Sasuke's hands go to his ass, pulling him deeper in, wanting, needing every inch of his cock. He can feel the veins pulsing on it, ridges rubbing into his walls, the feel of hot flesh against soaked folds.

Sasuke hooks one leg around his lover and feels him slide in deeper. His own short nails dig into back as he clings onto Naruto, his chest heaving, his mind buzzing with pleasure. Sasuke pulls his face away and presses it into his warm, sweaty neck, sucking at the salty skin and biting into it as he starts to drive a little harder.

Everything else fades away for a moment, just the two of them in this one moment is all he can focus on, and that was all right with him.

Naruto felt the same and enjoys it, even more, when he can get deeper into the raven, with only the base of his shaft missing out on the fun. Sasuke was so wet, so easy to fuck, and he drove Ōmo wild.

The sharp pricks of pain on his back blend in with the pleasure, and even as Sasuke's teeth sink into his neck, he can only feel it adding to the experience.

Naruto feels it first: the mounting pressure growing in his groin. And he tries to hold it back a little bit to keep going. Sasuke, however, isn't far behind. A ball of concentrated energy is starting to spread out from his hips, and, he tried to hold back the floodwaters.

The net result is a few more seconds, a handful of hard pumps, and then an explosion of mind-boggling pleasure.

Both cry out, Sasuke into Naruto's neck, and Naruto into the top of Sasuke's head, where he'd placed his mouth to try and keep quiet. Both of their bodies shudder against the other. Sasuke's walls squeeze his cock, and his cock twitches as it shot its sticky load deep into the younger's ass.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Sasuke screams, his nails dragging down his back frantically. And he's so beautiful that Naruto doesn't notice the red scratches forming on his back.

Naruto can only murmur curses in rapid succession as his mind goes blank, the plug pulled from his thoughts for a brief moment as he felt the come surge through his shaft and into Sasuke fucking Uchiha. His hips continue to jerk involuntarily as his orgasm dies down, both of them panting hard as the warm fuzzy feeling subsides. Sasuke's body gives a couple extra shudders as the throbbing mass of hot flesh continues to jerk back and forth inside him.

"I love my birthday."

It's the first thing he murmurs and Naruto leans in to kiss him. "I love you."

"I love you too," the raven whispered in return.

* * *

 _Akomeya Tokyo_

 _Grocer Department_

 _Ginza, Tokyo, Japan_

 _July 23, 2005_

"Enlighten me again why we left fucking Shinjuku to come all the way to Ginza."

Shikamaru winced at his boyfriend's language and smiled apologetically at the store worker who blinked rapidly at the Romanian, freezing in stocking the shelves. "The car ride only took twenty minutes," He muttered in return, his dark eyes finding some sake that looked delicious.

"Yeah. And on the way, we passed so many fucking stores. What's so great about this place? It looks and smells like shit." Hidan took the moment to look around the large store and Shikamaru couldn't help but laugh at him.

"One: it smells like regular food and two: Akomeya is very stylish."

"Still don't understand why we had to come all the way here though."

Shikamaru shook his head. Maybe people not raised in Japan wouldn't get it. Maybe he'd never understand Romanian customs if Hidan ever took him.

"Rice is important in Japanese cuisine and drinks. And Akoyema is famous for having so many types of grain. They also have sake, cooking ingredients, all the good stuff."

Hidan opened his mouth to speak and he blushed. "I'm never going to understand the way of this country, am I?"

Shikamaru couldn't help but smirk. "Since you're an idiot, probably not."

Hidan nodded in agreement, but when he realized what was said, he glared hard. "You're lucky your cute. You fucking Dickjerk fuckface."

Shikamaru laughed rambunctiously, throwing his head back. "What kind of insult is that?" And despite its loud nature, it was delicate, like the gushing water of a river. And his smile was so beautiful to Hidan, even more gorgeous than he.

But the moment was ruined when a man Hidan had seen more than enough walked past the aisle. Subtly, he looked to Shikamaru and then kept walking. "There's that guy again." Shikamaru stopped laughing, but he was still smiling.

"Why do you keep seeing him, but I don't?" Hidan didn't enjoy that Shikamaru was so unbothered by a man walking around the store. At every turn, the man was there and although Hidan didn't know how the store looked, he tried keeping the Nara away from the man for good measure. Just to be safe.

"He stares at you when you walk past. Like he knows you or something." There's a feeling in the pit of Hidan's stomach like something bad is going to happen. He doesn't want to be in this shitty place. Worse, he doesn't want Shikamaru Nara in this shitty place. "Maybe we should get out of here. I don't know if-"

"Hidan," Shikamaru muttered. "I'm glad that you care, but I'm not helpless. If something is going on, I'll handle it."

Hidan didn't believe him. _What if it's too late?_ He wanted to keep him safe, but Shikamaru was more experienced than him. Stronger even. "Okay."

Shikamaru smiled. "Now come on." The two continued shopping around the world and Shikamaru seemed so oblivious to the man that was obviously following them around.

He didn't look Japanese, which made him all the more suspicious to Hidan. It just….

"Come on, Hidan, let's go this way." His thoughts were interrupted by the soft voice of Shikamaru, and Hidan's stupid fucking heartbeat against his chest at the sound of excitement. He could bet his life that Shikamaru had been to Akoyema thousands of time, but the man was so excited to get simple things from here.

The moment was ruined however when he actually did look down the aisle that Shikamaru swiftly turned in. That odd man was there, trying to subtly look at the rice in the aisle. He noticed them before Hidan noticed him. And by the time Hidan had tried to put his hand out to stop Shikamaru, it was already too late.

Shikamaru was too close to him. And Hidan's chest was on fire. Something bad was going to happen. Something terrible was going to occur and he could do nothing about it.

The man turned innocently when Shikamaru grew closer, looking up and around the store, unaware of an impending tragedy. Hidan blinked. "Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God's love for them. But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. I will say, 'Salvation comes from the Lord,'" he whispered to God. "So please. _Please,_ keep him safe."

When he looked back up, he watched in sudden fascination why Shikamaru was a hitman. In a matter of a moment, Shikamaru had reached into his pocket and pulled out a knife; quietly, unseen. Shikamaru lifted the hem of his shirt and wrapped it around the knife. Hidan watched the man reach into his own pocket, but it was too late.

The Nara had already stuck the knife into his stalker. It plunged like a diver and Hidan winced because he almost felt it; the sharp stinging of metal that shouldn't be near one's organs. But it didn't end there. With his hand still wrapped in the shirt, Shikamaru twisted the knife inside the other man's stomach. It was like he was oblivious to the entire thing. Still looking at the grains with a soft smile on his face. And it occurred to Hidan that never once did Shikamaru look at the stalker. After the knife was twisted, Shikamaru continued to walk, and thus the knife was dragged across the man's stomach, slicing him open like a fish.

"Holy shit," Hidan murmured. It looked so painful. The man let out a soft murmur of pain and defeat. And Hidan watched Shikamaru finally stop paying attention to the foods. He turned to the man with confusion and then his eyes traveled down to the leaking gash in his torso.

His dark eyes widened and filled with so much concern, Hidan almost wondered if killing the man was a mistake. "Oh my God. Are you okay?" That was good acting. The man faltered in his step and Shikamaru reached out to grab him. And they both slid to the floor, Shikamaru holding him.

"It's okay. You're going to be okay." Gently, Shikamaru placed the knife in the man's hand and pushed his fingers down on them. _Fingerprints,_ Hidan wondered. That explained why he held the knife in his shirt. "Hidan, call an ambulance. Get the manager. He's losing too much blood."

* * *

 _Akomeya Tokyo_

 _Grocer Department_

 _Ginza, Tokyo, Japan_

 _July 23, 2005_

"It's an obvious suicide," The coroner murmured. Hidan blinked at his words and then looked to the manager of the store, who those words were directed at. The store had been evacuated and closed the rest of the day. And Shikamaru, the hero who had comforted his own victim until his demise, spoke to the paramedics and coroners with the manager.

It was Shikamaru who spoke, his voice full of concern. "I just don't understand that method of suicide. It's odd."

The coroner nodded. "Yes, but with a job like mine, I've seen plenty of odd things. And this is very low on the scale."

They talked a bit more, and Shikamaru offered the pay for anything that would need cleaning up in the store. Once all that was cleared up, the manager had left with parting apologies that Shikamaru had to go through watching a man's horrible death. And Hidan resisted the sudden urge to snort. _Go through watching? He had done the shit._

Once the manager was actually gone, Shikamaru's face grew serious and he looked to the coroner. "I want his fingerprints scanned and I want to know who he is by tomorrow. Get information on his criminal records, family, how he got here, and who he's been talking to the past few days."

The coroner nodded. "Yes, sir."

And then it hit Hidan like a high-speed truck. Shikamaru wasn't called Machiavelli for nothing. More than an advisor, the man was deceptive as hell. And Hidan didn't even think it was possible for a coroner to be working with the cartel.

* * *

 _Japanese Red Cross Nagoya Daini Hospital_

 _Myokencho, Showa Ward, Nagoya_

 _Aichi Prefecture_

 _Japan 23, 2005_

 _7:40 PM_

Naruto huffed slightly. Sensing his mood, Saku huffed alongside him, making the blond blush heavily. Saku always copied their moods, more of Naruto's than anyone else. He was always a sweet baby, but he got his temper from Naruto.

It didn't help that Saku was in Sasuke's arms at the moment so the older man noticed everything. "No. Don't give me that look. Saku, come on."

The baby stared at Sasuke for a long while, before rocking against him, trying to grab hold of his chin. Sasuke bent a bit, and the baby finally clasped it into his grasp, giggling softly. "You like mommy's chin? Huh, you like mommy's chin?" And then he faced the blond who was sitting in a chair. "What's gotten into you now?"

"Do I really need to go to Nagasaki?" The blond nearly groaned. He eyed Reo, who was by the corner of the hospital room, humming softly as he checked his suitcase.

"You offered to go to Neji's graduation. You'd do it to make me feel better?"

Naruto looked away from the handsome man with a soft scowl. God, he hated Neji with a fucking passion. Not even the devil could handle the amount of hate both men had for one another. "Why do we have to leave so early though? Especially on your birthday?"

Sasuke sighed softly. He didn't like the idea either. Suzuki was Naruto's child too. He deserved to spend time with her just as much as Sasuke had been over the past few days. But Naruto would do anything for him. Even attend the graduation of a man he hated. "I want Neji to feel like we- I still care. What is he going to think when you show up and leave on the same day as the ceremony?"

"Um, joy? He doesn't really care for me."

Sasuke sighed. That was true, but he just needed to do this. Neji and he should start talking more.

"Regardless of," Oji murmured softly. When Naruto turned to the old man, his mood dampened slightly and no more did he feel the urge to stand and throw Sasuke out the window because of the jealousy that passed through him. As of lately, he had been really set on proving his worth to and defending Neji. It was...gross. "Our flight leaves in forty minutes and you should be getting ready to head out."

Naruto sighed softly and stood. "Fine. But, Sasuke?"

"Hn?"

"Don't you think it's weird that even though you're going through all of this with the baby. Don't you think it's weird that you still need to prove yourself to him? Like missing his graduation because you had a forced C-section is so wrong?"

Sasuke seemed hurt by that even though it felt true. "Naruto, please. I don't want to fight again. Just do this, please? For me?"

"Anything for you," Naruto remarked, a lot quicker than he expected. "Without a doubt. Without question. Anything for you."

Sasuke smiled softly. "Arigato. And could you please straighten up your attitude. I can't deal with a stubborn Saku right now."

Naruto smirked when he caught the scowling face of his cute baby. That kid was so skilled at changing moods that it amazed Ōmo. He couldn't resist grabbing the baby and lifting him in the air. "Aw, don't be like that," he smiled.

Sasuke smiled in thanks. "Thank y-"

"Saku is just expressing his loyalty to daddy." This made the baby smile really big, showing his soft gums. "Isn't that right? See watch this. Neji."

Much to Sasuke's surprise, Saku stopped smiling immediately, glaring ahead of Naruto's head, his scowl deeper than Misaji's.

"Naruto." At the call of his father's name, Saku smiled and kicked out, shocked when his tiny feet rested on Naruto's chest.

"Neji." The scowl returned and Sasuke couldn't help but giggle. What a silly child.

"Naruto," Reo warned.

Naruto sighed. "I know. I know. Be nice to Neji while Sasuke's here. We can gossip about him on the plane."

Reo nodded. "We can."

A booking laughter resounded around the room and both Reo and Naruto smiled softly at the laughing Sasuke. "I can't stand the two of you."

"Oh please. You love us."

Sasuke shook his head at his husband. Not to disagree with him, but as if he couldn't believe them or himself. "How lucky you are."

* * *

It had been five hours after Naruto and Oji left that the tragedy struck. Sasuke shouldn't have been surprised really. When in the cartel, bad things always happened.

Whether they were doing it or it was happening to them. Bad things always happened. It was something Sasuke would always believe even when it didn't bother him.

It came when Saku was on his lap, watching Sasuke's mouth open and close more than he was listening to the story. Growing up, Oji had always read the story to him and Sasuke always loved it. There were different stages in his when he had wanted to go on the very adventure that Bilbo Baggins of Bag-end had gone through. TImes when he wanted to be a Hobbit.

"In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell," Sasuke tickled his son's stomach as he said these things, making him squeal softly. "nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort."

Suddenly, Saku grew bored of touching his mother's chin and looked at him curiously. Sasuke even ceased speaking by the sheer curiosity in those pretty dark eyes that were his own. The boy opened his mouth "hoooo…" he drawled until Sasuke smiled.

"Yes. A Hobbit hole. A member of an imaginary race similar to humans, of small size and with hairy feet, in stories."

Saku smiled and his hands reached up, the chubby flesh grabbing for his mother's silky black hair. Sasuke couldn't help it. He smiled and kissed the baby, going back to reading.

"It had a perfectly round door like a porthole, painted green, with a shiny yellow brass knob in the exact middle. The door opened on to a tube-shaped hall like a tunnel."

It came the tragedy, in the form of a bodyguard watching the hospital. He stood before Sasuke in all seriousness and said attentively. "Sama, I have something to inform."

Sasuke stopped and looked up at the man, who was staring nervously at him. "What is it? You're interrupting Saku's fun time."

"Well. There was a man roaming the clinic's campus with a weapon and an image of you," Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "But thankfully, we confiscated him and stopped him from doing anything brash. Waiting on your orders, sir."

The tragedy wasn't the dangerous man. Although the tragedy had so much to do with him. Sasuke sighed and looked back at the book, unconsciously wiping the drool from his baby's mouth.

"Bring him up here and have someone check on Suzuki." With the order, he continued to read to his son. "This hobbit was a very well-to-do hobbit, and his name was Baggins. The Bagginses had lived in the neighbourhood of The Hill for time out of mind, and people considered them very respectable, not only because most of them were rich, but also because they never had any adventures or did anything unexpected: you could tell what a Baggins would say on any question without the bother of asking him. Can you imagine it, Sūpaman? A person who never goes on an adventure like Monkey D. Luffy?"

Saku gurgled softly at the mention of one of his favorite people.

"Well, this is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure and found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected. He may have lost the neighbors' respect, but he gained—well, you will see whether he gained anything in the end."

Five minutes had passed and five minutes until the tragedy had occurred. The hospital door opened once again and the same bodyguard walked in once more. This time, however, he was roughly handling a short black male with hazel eyes.

"Have you come to see the baby?" Sasuke smirked at him. The suspect sneered at him and said something in Russian that he couldn't even comprehend. So they would do this the hard way then. He supposed. He didn't like it. But, it was the only way, to keep himself and his family safe. "Who are you and what did you come here for?"

The man still would not speak, only stared at Sasuke with a menacing smirk, as if he knew something Sasuke didn't and maybe he did. Maybe…

"Would you like to hear the story?" Sasuke asked, not minding the odd looks his own bodyguards gave to one another. Saku whimpered a bit, his scowl growing. "Sorry, sorry. Where were we? The mother of our particular hobbit—what is a hobbit? I suppose hobbits need some description nowadays since they have become rare and shy of the Big People, as they call us. They are - or were - a little people, about half our height, and smaller than the bearded Dwarves. Hobbits have no beards. There is little or no magic about them, except the ordinary everyday sort which helps them to disappear quietly and quickly when large stupid folk like you and me come blundering along, making a noise like elephants which they can hear a mile off. "Are you a part of the group that killed my friend, Rock Lee?"

Still nothing.

"Alright then. Who ordered the raid? They are inclined to be fat in the stomach, like mommy when he has a baby; they dress in bright colours (chiefly green and yellow); wear no shoes, because their feet grow natural leathery soles and thick warm brown hair like the stuff on their heads, which is curly like aunty Sha's."

Despite the laugh, he let out, Saku still whimpered. Sasuke sighed. He really didn't want to do this now, but the child was hungry. Gently, he laid down the book and pushed the hospital gown off his shoulder. Before his chest was exposed, Saku greedily lifted his head and began sucking. Sasuke looked at man as his son drank his milk. "The window you're standing in front of has a building parallel to it, with a roof high enough for someone to look own in it. One that roof is my good friend Kankuro, who is extremely good with a sniper. You have five seconds to tell me who ordered the raid that killed Rock Lee."

Saku hummed against his chest, but Sasuke was still staring hard at the perpetrator.

"Who?" He asked.

 _Four_

"Killed"

 _Three_

"Rock"

 _Two_

"Lee?"

 _One_

"Angel of Death," The man murmured in Japanese.

The tragedy truly struck when the bodyguard that had brought him in raised a hand. And then Sasuke looked away from the man's dead body. Blood hadn't gone anywhere, which relieved him tremendously. Kankuro was always a clean shot.

While Saku was drinking, the raven grabbed the book again. "Should we continue, boo boo? have long clever brown fingers, good-natured faces, and laugh deep fruity laughs, like daddy and Uncle B. Now you know enough to go on with. As I was saying, the mother of this hobbit; of Bilbo Baggins, that is - was the famous Belladonna Took…

Search his body and then clean this up. And don't let Naruto hear about this yet.

one of the three remarkable daughters of the Old Took, head of the hobbits who lived across The Water…."

* * *

 _The Hotel Nagasaki_

 _4-star Hotel_

 _Nagasaki, Japan_

 _July 23, 2005_

Naruto took notice of the first bed as they moved into the hotel room. Without even dropping his bag, the man slumped onto the bed tiredly. "I'm jet-lagged, Oji. I don't think I'll be able to make it to the ceremony."

Reo snorted at the obvious excuse as he maneuvered himself into the room. Unlike Naruto, he gently placed his bag onto the counter and opened it, probably rummaging through for something to sleep in. "We've only been on the plane for an hour. And the ceremony is in seven days. You'll have time to heal."

"But, it's incurable." Naruto sat up to remove his shirt with a sigh, but it was short lived when the Yamaguchi across the room let out a soft laugh, one that was hardly heard or seen.

"Naruto. You've been through worse. I'm sure you can handle Neji for a few days." Naruto sighed even more and threw himself back on the bed. Reo turned with an amused smile. "That bad, huh?"

"Anata wa nani mo rikai shite imasen," The blond whispered back in return.

It was soft and sudden and so unlike him that Reo stopped in changing to look at Naruto, who was already smiling softly at him. But there was something in his eye that told him Naruto really wasn't happy. "What's wrong?"

As if sensing that he was being found out, Naruto looked back up at the ceiling. "I don't know...nothing." He grew quiet for a long while before looking back at the older man. "You know. I'm really glad you raised Sasuke the way you did. I don't think he'd be so selfless and accepting if it weren't for you. You're just like that. So thanks."

Oji was smart, so he finished dressing and went to his own bed. When he sat, he was surprised Naruto had sat up himself and crossed his legs on the bed, resting his chin in his palm. "But?" he asked.

"Never in my life would I feel inferior to Neji. I'm a God, right? And he's so different than me. But sometimes, I can't help the feeling that maybe Sasuke would be happier with him. I don't feel threatened really, just scared sometimes. And I know that Sasuke loves me and me only, And I trust him more than myself, but sometimes…" he trailed, not knowing what to say, and decided to fiddle with the fabric of his pants, embarrassed.

"You're scared." Oji could never understand what Naruto was going through. He couldn't imagine the pain that he felt when he thought about Sasuke choosing Neji, but he knew where it came from. It came from the years Neji had with Sasuke over Naruto. Their entire lifetime. And it came from Neji being there first. Before anyone.

"Yeah. It's stupid. I know. But, sometimes I can't help it. There were others before Sasuke. Not serious relationships, but girls I often went to when I wanted something to hold onto for the night. So Sasuke is my first serious relationship. It's like being on this big ship, Oji, and I don't know how to navigate. I don't know if I'm hurting him by doing something, or if I stopped something he loved. I don't know what couples say when they love each other. I just don't know. And that hurts so bad. It does. It hurts because what if I am hurting him, Oji? What if he really belongs with someone else and I'm keeping him to myself. It hurts more than any pain I've ever experienced. And the worst part is," he whispered. "I don't know if I'm exaggerating or not."

That had been a mouthful. Naruto never opened up this way, not vulnerable and afraid. He was better at expressing his feeling through anger. But what now, could he be angry about? Nothing. Now out of the suspicious eye of Neji, and the worried eye of Sasuke, Naruto could only be afraid.

And who could blame him? Sasuke had practically begged for them to come to Nagasaki to cheer on Neji in his place. Neji, who obviously was concerned with his own happiness in their friendship. That must have been a heavy blow to Naruto, no matter how bitter he showed it himself. Never had Naruto been chosen second. That was something Reo saw in most people.

To Bolade Mohammed, Naruto came first. The man would give up his own status as the highest rank so that Naruto could simply make a name for himself. Instead of focusing on himself, he had chosen to take Naruto under his wing and train him like he was his own son.

To the Namikaze trio, Naruto came first. His own father had given up for years of his freedom just so that Naruto could become a part of something better than the way he was raised. Misaji wasn't a man to bow to anyone, but Reo had seen him yield under the favored child of the Namikaze. And Madoka, despite raising Naruto, had let Naruto take control of the entire family, trusting him deeply.

To Nagato and Karin, Naruto came first. Since they were younger, Nagato had chosen Naruto over a lot of people, including other family members. It didn't take long for Karin to follow him after their first deal. He was their leader.

To Shikamaru, Naruto meant the world. Reo knew looks of love. He had given them to his own wife because he knew she would not see them. Shikamaru because he knew Naruto would never notice. The looks were different all the time as if every day, he changed. Sometimes, there was amusement and then adoration. And every blue moon was love. Shikamaru would look at Naruto like he was the best thing in the world. If anyone chose Naruto more than anything or anyone, it was Shikamaru Nara. He was the king's advisor and he had lived that with for years now. For him, it was life by his friend or nothing at all. For Shikamaru, it was King or Dead.

But for a small moment, Sasuke had chosen Neji. Because he valued friendships, not because he loved Neji. To Naruto, it didn't feel that way. He must have thought that Sasuke wanted to be with Neji.

"He loves you. More than he's ever going to love anyone else." Maybe he didn't need to hear that bitterly from Neji or even sincerely from Sasuke. Maybe Naruto needed to hear this seriously from Reo himself. "Neji may have been Sasuke's first everything, but he's not Sasuke's Naruto. I want to tell you something."

Naruto looked up finally, intent on what Reo needed to say. "When Sasuke had started dating Neji when they were both sophomores in high school. He came to me and said 'Oji. Neji told me he loved me today.' Sasuke had been embarrassed as if he had never heard it before. And I tried teasing him and I asked 'did you say it back?' and I'll never forget my grandson's thoughtful face when his brows furrowed in concentration and he looked up with a soft smile and said 'no. I can't if I don't believe it myself.' And even today, I think he'd say the same thing. For them, it didn't work out. They were too similar."

Naruto sighed softly, still pulling at the fabric of his pants.

"When he met you, a lot changed for him. Sasuke had always been confident in his ability to make his name known, but he was always nervous about who he truly was. I remember the day he told you about his condition. The first time he'd told Neji, Neji didn't understand, even after Sasuke had given him books on the subject. But he came to me excited and said 'Oji. Naruto took me out today after I told him about my being intersex. It was a fancy restaurant and he had all the workers sing for me and it was so loud and embarrassing and I just want to freaking marry him.' You had accepted him. And he was so surprised, Naruto because no one else had done that for him."

Shyly, his grandson in law smiled. "I remember that."

"I understand that you're scared, but I promise that you don't have to be."

Naruto is as vulnerable as anyone else. He just doesn't show it. But today, he showed Oji and the old man could fully understand.

"I love Sasuke," the blond murmured out of nowhere. He looked up in desperation as if he needed to say this. "And I'm sorry, Oji. I swear that when I hurt him, I don't mean to."

"Naruto, how do you hurt him? I'm extremely confused. I've never seen you hurt him."

"When he got arrested, I hurt him. I had cocaine in that car that I gave him. And he couldn't even go to his own graduation ceremony because he was in jail."

"Naruto," Reo muttered, but his grandson didn't look up or stop talking. He just brought his knees up to his chest.

"Ino pushed him down the stairs and almost killed him and Saku. _Ino._ That was _my_ enemy and she tried to kill Sasuke. And I didn't even take him to the hospital. I was so worried about Saku getting all his appointments in that I didn't stop to say 'Sasuke, have you been going to the hospital?' I let him smoke while he was pregnant."

"Naruto." the blond blinked rapidly, this time trying to fight his emotions. That was Naruto. He could express his pain all he wanted, but God would have to kill him to make him cry.

"And I couldn't even protect him from the nightmares. Rock Lee is hunting his stress and Sasuke is hurting. He thinks Rock Lee's soul doesn't want to go and if I had protected him better, I could have saved both of them. Regardless of whether I like Neji or not. All I do is put Sasuke in danger and pain. And even when I know that I want to keep him. And I want him to keep me. I'm selfish, but Oji, I swear, I don't mean to-"

" _Naruto!"_ The blond looked up and winced at Reo Yamaguchi's tear-stricken face, accompanied by a harsh scowl. He wiped at them harshly, but they just kept coming.

"Oji, I'm sorry,"

"Those things that Neji says...well he can...he can go and shove them up his ass." Naruto stared surprised at the older man's use of language. Profanity sounded weird when it was on Reo's tongue. "Yeah. I said it. He can. He doesn't care about Sasuke's well being, he cares about being with him. He doesn't know that all his life Sasuke has waited and waited for someone to really love him, not just have sex with him. I've spent countless nights comforting that boy from middle school to high school. Endless nights," he said harshly, "of trying to make him _not_ sad. And I'm not going back. He doesn't know that Sasuke loves himself even more now. Forget what Neji says. Have I ever told you that you hurt Sasuke?"

Naruto thought. "No, but-"

"Has Sasuke ever told you those things hurt him? That he doesn't feel safe around you."

"No."

"So why are you listening to a man that only says those things because he loves Sasuke too? Why do you take his words seriously? I'm so happy Sasuke's with you. I don't care what you do, Naruto. Sasuke has never been safer or happier than anytime his last name wasn't Namikaze. And I need you to listen because I don't want to hear another word of it."

"Okay."

"No matter what happens, Sasuke is never going to leave you. He's stubborn and once he latches on to something he loves, he doesn't let go. So you're stuck with him." Reo smiled softly. "But that's okay because he's stuck with you too."

Naruto smiled softly, but before either man could speak again, a soft knock was at the door. The older man looked at the clock on the dresser. "Who could be here at 10 at night?"

Naruto's brows furrowed, and he reached beneath his bed to grab a handgun latched onto the box spring. Standing, he smiled despite the seriousness in his eyes. "I've got it, don't worry."

The walk to the door was slow and steady. Naruto didn't want to alert whoever was out there. Didn't want them to know he was standing directly before the door. Peeking through the peephole, he sighed. "It's Neji."

He sounded disappointed, but there was no hint of disconfidence. He seemed brighter about the situation. And Reo assumed, he really did need that serious talk.

When the door opened, Neji awkwardly smiled and lifted his phone. "Sasuke gave me your room number and said that you had arrived."

Genuinely, Naruto smiled sheepishly at Reo. "Ratted out by my baby. Harsh."

Reo smiled too and Neji took the initiative to come into the room. Once he was in the light, he noticed Reo's tear stricken face and immediately, his eyes narrowed. "What's wrong, Reo-san? What happened?" And 'surprisingly,' he turned to Naruto who had just closed the door. "What did you do?"

Ōmo had been challenged and instantly, the blond rose to the fight, as always. "I didn't do anything. We were just in here talking."

"Hard to be-"

Reo's eyes narrowed dangerously. " _Stop_ _that_." both men looked over, but when Reo looked up, he was giving Neji the nastiest scowl Naruto had ever seen. "Naruto, I would like to speak with Neji alone please."

Naruto rubbed his neck. "Um, sure. I was going to go check out that plaza, Amu. They aren't closed yet, and I want to get Sasuke something from his hometown. If you need anything, Oji just call me."

"Or I can get under the bed," Reo joked, but his hand went to the underside of the bed where Naruto had someone previously strap pistols to.

And he couldn't help it. He let of a loud laugh and pointed at the man. "You may be super sweet, but under that skin is the same fire you passed down to Sasuke, OG." And then he looked thoughtful. "Oji...OG... original gangster."

He laughed at his own joke and Neji scowled softly. He grabbed his phone and began typing harshly. "I'm going to let Sasuke know you've been greeted and that Reo-san is crying."

Naruto deadpanned. "Not in the mood. So unless you want to go toe to toe with me, stop saying things." With a wave to Reo, the man was out the door.

* * *

 _Amu Plaza Nagasaki_

 _Nagasaki, Japan_

 _Nagasaki Prefecture_

 _July 23, 2005_

Naruto couldn't deny that the mall was really nice. Despite it being close to midnight, it was like it never slept. There were kids in the play section bustling around and people walking around lively.

Tokyo, to him, was still the best city in all of Japan, but Nagasaki really had this going for themselves. There were so many things here that had could buy for Sasuke, just late birthday presents to add to the forty had had already given him.

Nagasaki Castella was a rich cake that Sasuke had loved and Naruto could bet that he missed it. He would take loads of those back.

Bekko crafts were also something sacred to Sasuke hometown. Naruto was so happy that they had them. He'd get some for Oji too.

Hasamiyaki Porcelain was also popular and Naruto made sure to get two glasses each for Reo and Sasuke. When all that was found and paid for, he realized he'd been gone for a good half hour. Neji had to be gone by then, so it was safe to go back to the hotel with a happy face.

Naruto lifted the bags in his hand when he took notice of the television on the wall behind the counter. The video displayed a group of protected men digging through remnants of a plane crash. But that didn't bother him. It was the caption. The caption.

 **40 killed in South Korean President assassination attempt.**

Naruto's fingers curled around his bag. _Attempt_. _Attempt_. So Roh wasn't dead? What the fuck was Karin doing? Had she used force when he refused to go?

With a heavy scowl, Naruto left the store. Roh was so easy to eliminate. How could it be so hard? Naruto had a few choice words for…

He stopped abruptly when a woman had nearly fallen before him. She was walking backward slowly, fear in her eyes, clutching the wrist of her son so hard that the boy winced every once in a while.

The blond glared hard and moved past her. He didn't have time for people to tremor in fear of Ōmo. He just wanted to go fucking home and curse at someone. Roh was alive. Roh Moo-Hyun had fucking lived. What kind of bulls-

"Please don't. Please. Watashi no musuko wa koko ni iru."

The amount of desperation in the female's voice made Naruto stop in his tracks and look back. It was the same woman from before. She was still moving back slowly, holding her son's wrist, afraid. But she wasn't begging Naruto. In fact, Naruto looked around the now extremely quiet court and found that everyone was staring in the direction of her eyes. Everyone was frozen with fear.

"Please don't," she whispered.

Her son looked up at her, not understanding the fear. "Mommy," he said.

The woman's hands raised in a stop motion and Naruto followed it. There was a man standing in the middle of all those fear-stricken people. Nothing was out of the ordinary, really. He looked like the average Japanese male. But there was something on his chest. Something Naruto had seen before. Something that Sha had made skillfully for Roh Moo-Hyun's demise.

It was a bomb.

The man was whispering to himself, praying. "On Earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day…"

With a soft scowl, Naruto lifted his suit jacket and pulled out his gun. Before this man could even think about pushing that button in his hand, he was going to shoot him.

The woman was still pleading. Some people were crying. Others not in shock had been sneaking out.

"Lead us not into temptation, but deli-" he stopped abruptly and looked up sharply, making people gasp and flinch and scream. It was chaos. He looked directly at Naruto then. _What the hell?_

Naruto aimed. The woman begged the suicide bomber. Her son called her again. Someone else snuck out.

"For the Yamanaka!"

Naruto faltered. His finger slipped. He dropped the gun.

The bomb went off.

The smell, at first, was similar to a barbecue. There was a charcoal-like whiff of gunpowder mixed with blood and burned flesh. It was thick and bitter, and it overpowered everything. Naruto could taste it in his mouth. And for a moment, he was glad that he was a bit away from the suicide bomber. He had enough time to shield Sasuke's things before the stinging on the back of his suit came. The mall, the ceiling, everything collapsed. They were buried and in complete darkness.

Naruto fell with a curse. That was when he thought "I'm going to die." He repeated it to himself, "I'm going to die, I'm going to die."

The third time he said it, he must have lost consciousness.

* * *

 _Haneda Airport_

 _Ōta, Tokyo, Japan_

 _July 24, 2005_

Sha's eyes flickered around the airport as she waited to board the plane to Aichi. She needed to be aware of her surroundings and never once did the woman take her hand off her waist where her gun lay.

"Sha," the woman jumped and pulled the gun out, pointing it at the perpetrator. Shikamaru blinked at the gun on his forehead and Sha lowered it quickly.

"Shikamaru, what are you doing here so late? It's almost 12:30 in the morning."

Shikamaru smiled softly. "I could ask you the same thing. Weren't you supposed to be there this morning?"

Sha scowled toward the ground, thinking about this morning's raid on her penthouse. "I got caught up."

"I take it you were attacked too." He head shot up and Shikamaru nodded, pointing down to the large thing wrapping around her foot, ankle, and shin... "A man tried to kill me this morning. He never got close to it because I knew it, but still."

Sha sighed in relief and turned around. "Tha' was a waid on my otel this mo'ning. wozsian men. Shot alf of my fucking eaw off and made me bweak my angle. I was able to get all of them, but no info'mation weally."

Shikamaru walked forward, his eyes filled with concern. He couldn't help but stare at the spot next to her bandaged ear. "Sha, did you go to the hospital?"

The woman shook her head. "I didn't ave time. I bandaged my eaw and ad one of my men buy this bwage fo' me."

Shikamaru's eyes widened even more. And he put a hand on her shoulder. "Sha, did you ever see the bullet go past your head when it grazed your ear?"

This time, the woman turned in utter confusion. What did it even matter? She was attacked and they needed to figure out what was happening. "No. Why?"

"Sha, don't panic, but...there's a bullet lodged into the back of your head."

"What?"

"I said don't panic." He grabbed both her shoulders. "How long ago was the raid?"

"It happened awound six in the mo'ning."

Shikamaru couldn't help himself. He laughed, but tears leaked from his eyes as he rested his forehead on his friend's. "Sha," he murmured.

The woman laughed too, but her eyes were still shocked. "Why are you crying?"

"Sha, you've gone almost twenty-four hours with a bullet in the back of your head. And you're asking me why I'm crying?"

"How is that even possible?"

"The bullet must have come from the air and went in. It's not uncommon. There was a polish man that got shot in the back of the head and didn't know for five years. Sha," he laughed again, but the tears didn't stop. "Sha, you're so badass. Can you feel it?" She shook her head. "As soon as we get to Sasuke and Naruto, we're going to get that removed, alright?"

Sha smirked. "Damn wight I am. I was taught by the best."

* * *

 _The Hotel Nagasaki_

 _4-star Hotel_

 _Nagasaki, Japan_

 _July 24, 2005_

Naruto hadn't returned in an hour and Neji had left more than twenty minutes ago. It was going into one in the morning now and Reo was starting to get worried. The blond wasn't answering the phone and he wondered if he should just leave and go to the mall himself.

Just as Reo was about to leave, the door opened in an abrupt manner. He squeezed his fists together, but when he saw who had come, the man gasped. Naruto was leaning against the doorway, two bags in his hand. A hand that a had piece of glass in it.

His hair didn't look blond anymore, it was riddled with dust and debris. The suit he had left with was now charred, revealing parts of his skin. One of his eyes was squeezed shut and the other was red. So red. Reo knew that from anywhere. But, where did the explosion go off?

"Naruto, what happened?" He whispered.

The young man looked up and he looked so broken that it hit Reo right in the chest. His lips quivered. His eyes watered. "Oji," he whispered, although his voice was hoarse and scratchy.

 _Don't you cry when you're down._

 _Don't you cry when you're down._

 _Don't you cry when you're down._

Naruto dropped onto the floor and bowed his head enough so that Reo could see the horrible scabs and burns on this back. Third degree. And he sobbed so hard that it sounded like high pitched squealing. Like he was crying for all those times he never did. The sadness was built up and all it took was an explosion to break it out.

Reo moved over to him and dropped too. When Naruto looked back up, his face was wet and his mouth was open and snot was dripping from his nose. Reo grabbed both sides of his face, trying to comfort him. Naruto didn't look like Omo anymore. He looked young, maybe ten or 11, and scared. He looked like he was still on that mountain outside of Kabukicho, trying to figure out where it all went wrong. "Oji."

"Yes?"

Naruto let out a cry. "Will you take me home?" And he collapsed on the man.

* * *

 _Learjet 40_

 _July 24, 2005_

When Naruto arose again, he couldn't feel his back anymore. No. That wasn't correct. He couldn't feel the pain in his back anymore. And the air didn't smell like burned flesh. It smelled like shampoo. The event came rushing back to him and the man shot up, only to crash into someone else. He looked around frantically before he sighed when he caught Reo's soft eyes.

"Oji," his voice cracked. "Where are we?"

"We're on the jet. About thirty minutes from the hospital."

Naruto looked at himself, noticing that his entire torso and arms were wrapped in bandages. It wasn't a horrible dream. It had happened. Naruto winced as an image of the pleading woman and her innocent son came to mind. They had died. Naruto didn't know if it was because of the crushed rubble or their proximity to the explosion. They had died because of him. Because somehow, some Yamanaka was still alive trying to kill him.

Naruto was just as bad if not worse. 40 people had died on that plane rigged with the explosion for Roh. What if a mother and her innocent son were there? A lot of people had died during the bombing of Nagasaki. Reo's younger sister. His mother. Father. Naruto whimpered as Reo pulled him into a hug. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

The man harshly wiped at his eyes as his body shuddered. Reo shushed him. He squeezed tight experienced in this. He had done the same to Kamiko, Mikoto, and Sasuke. He was good at taking care of broken souls just like Naruto's

When they did land close to the hospital, Naruto had gone completely silent, but Reo could see the anger and fire in him, the sadness long gone. Naruto didn't like the look of all the men standing outside of the hospital, watching the surroundings carefully.

"What's going on? Is Sasuke alright? What about Saku and Suzuki?"

"They're all alright, sir. Sasuke-san ordered the hospital to be put on lockdown."

Naruto and Oji moved into the building as Reo requested that he take care of his bandages and wounds.

"Don't worry, Oji. I'm strong. I shouldn't have made it from that explosion but I did."

Sasuke's room was just down the hall and when he burst in, he hadn't expected Sha and Shikamaru to be with the raven. Shikamaru took notice of his red eyes and bandages first. He came forward in a hushed worry. "What the hell happened? Are you alright?"

Naruto nodded. "I'm fine. Just a lot of things happened. What's...why are you all here?" He took notice of the bandage on Sha's ear, head, and the brace on her foot. "Sha, what happened to you."

Sha sighed. "Yesta'day mo'ning, tha' was a waid on my ooze. Six wozsian men came in and one of them outside o'da'd it. The weceptionist at the desk was wo'king with them. I killed all of them, but not befo' taking a few scaws myself. I inta'wogated one of them and e told me e wo'ked fo' the angel of death."

Shikamaru smiled. "Motherfucker went 18 hours with a bullet lodged into the back of her head." And even Naruto couldn't resist smiling at that.

Sasuke blinked. "Did you say angel of death?" Everyone looked at him and Sha nodded and reached into the back of her pocket. "I wanted ev'yone a' befo' I showed you this. Shikamawu said someone was following im in the sto' befo' e killed im. Sasuke said that an awmed man was woaming the campus with a picta' of im befo' e had that man killed."

"Where's Saku and Suzuki?" Naruto questioned. "Are they safe?"

Sasuke nodded. "Both in the NICU with Sai."

Reo put a hand on Naruto's shoulder to calm him slightly. "I'll go check on them." And then he was gone.

Sha bent down and placed five pieces of paper on the ground, with each slap to the ground, everyone else grew increasingly uncomfortable.

The first picture was of Naruto. He was smirking dangerously at something in the background. Below his face read his name. _Omo Namikaze. Wanted Dead: ¥600 million reward._ It made him sneer. Whoever was giving that reward was broke as fuck. But at least they tried their best.

The second picture was of Sasuke smiling brightly, a hospital gown on. But it was different from the one now. It was a picture of when he had first held Saku almost a year ago. _Sasuke "Psycho" Namikaze. Wanted Dead or Alive: ¥450 million reward._ Sasuke sneered as well. Who had taken that picture of him? It was too personal. In fact, they were all too personal. Like someone had taken them when they were happy.

Shikamaru was next. He had a cigarette in his mouth and Naruto's arm was around his shoulder as he smiled softly at the camera. _Shikamaru "Machiavelli" Nara. Wanted Dead or Alive: ¥500 million reward._

And then Bolade. He was sticking his middle finger up to the camera, but his tongue was out goofily. _Bolade "Killer B" Mohammed. Wanted Dead or Alive: ¥500 million._

And finally, Sha. Sasuke's eyes widened at the picture. Sha was nearly naked. Only wearing a bra as she too stuck out her tongue toward the camera. Her eyes were soft. _Sha "Sweet Lips" Mohammed. Wanted Only Alive: ¥550 million reward._

"Why is Sha wanted only alive?" Sasuke questioned in fear. It was understandable for Naruto to be wanted dead only, but Sha only alive? Sha herself shifted uncomfortably, and Shikamaru grimaced in disgust. "Drug trafficking wasn't the only way the Yamanaka made their money."

"You don't mean…"

"Sex trafficking, Sasuke," Shikamaru whispered. "They want Sha alive so they can use her."

While Sasuke had gasped, everyone else had turned to the very silent Naruto, who stood glaring at the papers. "Naruto? What do we do?"

"They're calling someone the angel of death. That means that their name has to be biblical. And the only name I can think of is one from Hebrew religions; Azrail. It means angel of death." Naruto closed his eyes, with a sigh. "Can you think of anyone we know, because I'm lost."

Shikamaru's heart pounded against his chest as a thought came up. "Azrail. It was the name of a man I was supposed to kill after all the Yamanaka were arrested."

"Supposed?" Naruto questioned. "Why wasn't it followed through?"

Shikamaru looked at Sha before sighing. "I was shot."

"Fuck!" Naruto yelled. He began pacing the room. "I can't believe this shit! This motherfucker has been playing with us this entire time! He got Lee Killed! The bomb in the mall, Roh not making it onto the plane, the raid, the market, it was all him!"

Sasuke sighed. "Naruto, calm down."

Naruto's head snapped to him. "How can I?! Look at me, Sasuke. How can I calm down?"

Sasuke looked away from the man's body as Naruto continued.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" Naruto's fist went back and slammed into the hospital door, and a hole was formed. "What the fuck is going on with this organization, huh?!" Shikamaru looked down. "When I order a man to be killed, I want him fucking dead that day! I want him torn apart, shot in the head, dismembered, I don't care what happens, just make it happen!"

Naruto growled and started punching the wall over and over again and Sasuke was sure the men guarding the room were flinching. "You're not here to worry about love! You're not here so you can plot to kill your husband!" Sha flinched too. "You're not here so you can worry about your best friend who could give a shit about you!"

"That's unfair," Sasuke yelled back, growing angry himself.

"Is it, Sasuke?! People in Nagasaki died because I was there. If I had been here, maybe the same man that came to you would have come to me too. But, you were so worried about how Neji feels. Shikamaru was so worried about protecting Sha. Sha was so fucking worried about going behind my back. Why was B the only one doing something when we were down? Why the fuck was he putting in all the work?!"

Naruto sighed. He was being unfair. He was being a monster. With a heavy sigh, he crouched down to the floor. "I'm being unfair."

"You think?" Sasuke hissed back. "Now's not the time to be brash. What we need to do is sit here and work out our differences. Of course we fell and of course, we got kicked when we fell, but we need to worry about how to get back up. We need to get back on track. We're the fucking Namikaze cartel. And we need to deal with this Azrail piece of shit and act like it."

Naruto sighed. Of course, Sasuke would know what to say. He looked up to Sha who was quiet and then to Shikamaru. Shikamaru looked more hurt than Sha and the blond sighed. God, he was such a fucking dick. "Shikamaru, c'mere." The raven turned a bit away from him. "Shikamaru, I'm sorry." Still nothing. " _Please._ " The Nara sighed and walked over to him. His arms were still crossed as he sat down beside his friend. "I'm being a dick."

"You are," Sha muttered, resisting the urge to snort.

"Sha," Naruto hissed in return. But the woman just smiled softly at him. "I'm sorry too, Sha. You guys, I shouldn't have said those things. And it was okay for you to worry about those things. I'm sorry. Sha I know it was tough for you and Shikamaru, I know you were only trying to help everyone. Like you always do. And Sasuke, my dear dear, Sasuke,"

He smiled softly at the impassive face of the pale man. "Make it up to me later," he muttered.

"Okay." Naruto turned to the still silent Nara beside him and frowned. "Are you still mad?"

Shikamaru shook his head in disappointment. "Dude?"

"Yeah?"

"You're such a dick." And then he laughed softly as Naruto pulled him into a hug.

Sasuke shook his head. "Now that we're all one big happy family, we should be calling B and making sure he's alright. We all were targeted and we all have bounties. But B has one too."

As soon as she said that, Naruto's phone rang. He looked down at it and then back up at everyone. "Speak of the devil."

* * *

 _Abuja, Nigeria_

 _July 24, 2005_

It had been a really long day for him. Bolade had been back in Nigeria for a few days now, and he still hadn't actually gone back to his old home but rather stayed in a new home procrastinating. He wasn't sure if he should even go back to the see them. Really, he just wanted to go back to Tokyo. He hadn't seen in mother in so many years. He wondered if she still hated him. Probably.

Deciding that his mother was too much to think about, Bolade dropped onto the bed for a long night's rest. And then he heard it. Wind. Wind. He heard the wind. The assassin sat up. He had closed all the windows of the house before coming upstairs, there shouldn't have been any sound of win outside.

A creak of the floor made him stand fully. Someone was in his house. His bedroom door was closed, so he couldn't see outside the door, but he knew someone was there.

With a sigh, the black man went over to his dresser and pulled out two knives, both very small. This would do.

They were coming close to the door now and B smirked. Moving to the side of the door, he watched it bust open and bullets sprayed the room. Who the fuck had come all the way to Nigeria to kill him? He wouldn't put it past his mother that she had somehow found out. The bullets stopped. Either they had noticed he wasn't there or they needed to reload. There were so many shells on the ground he believed it was the latter.

Before he could talk, the person stepped in, and B had no choice but to rush them. It was a woman, and despite her shock, she began to fight him with a sneer. Yelling over and over, "For the Yamanaka."

He wanted to question her, but she was stronger than she looked. He couldn't question her. He had to kill her. With a knife, B used five seconds to stick the knife into different parts of her body.

Left breast; right breast; spleen; liver; stomach; abdomen; thyroid; neck; face. She had gone completely numb and Bolade stood, wiping her blood from his eyes. With those wounds, she would die in about ten minutes. But at least she wouldn't feel a thing.

He sat on the bed with a sigh and grabbed his phone. Naruto picked up almost immediately. "Yeah?"

"Might sound crazy even though I'm in Nigeria, but some lady just tried to kill me and all she kept yelling was 'for the Yamanaka.'" The man couldn't help but snort as he joked "Weirdest kink I've come across and that's saying something since Sha had a lot of those."

In the background, there was a sheepish 'what?' and suddenly, he could hear Sasuke laughing really loudly. And then Sha told him to stop laughing. "Oh my god," he whispered. "Am I on speaker phone? Wait where are you?"

"You're on speaker. And the same thing happened to us."

"The kink?"

He could almost see Naruto's smile. "No the attempt at our lives. Sha's house was raided and she was shot in the back of the head-"

Bolade shot up, fear coursing through his bones. "Is she alright? Christ, I should be there. Not here."

"B, she's fine. Sha's strong."

He calmed down a bit, but there was still worry in his heart that B couldn't get over. "Ain't that the truth."

"Shikamaru wasn't hurt, but he did kill a man that tried to kill him. Sasuke wasn't hurt either. He managed to get Kankuro to snipe the man."

"And you?" B asked. "What about you?"

The silence that passed was uncomfortable. Sketchy. The others were silent as if they hadn't heard this either.

Naruto sighed. "I went to a shopping mall in Nagasaki and a suicide bomber was there." Bolade grit his teeth. "And I. There were so many people, guys. I tried to shoot him, but he said something. Oji said the flesh on my back was completely burned off so it won't be the same."

"You're still really hot," he heard Sasuke murmur. And made Naruto laugh himself. "Really. And I bet you look even hotter with a few scars."

"Please get a room," Bolade muttered. "Also, I'm coming home."

Naruto laughed softly. "Thank you, Sasuke. But it's not my appearance I'm worried about. I'm worried about this Azrail Yamanaka guy. And no, B. Please stay in Nigeria and sort everything out. I promise we'll fix this."

"The guy that Shikamaru killed?"

"Supposed to kill."

"Damn that lazy kid."

"True," Naruto smiled.

Shikamaru huffed. "I'm right here."

And Naruto laughed. When he had called the blonde seemed out of it. Angry even. But B hoped that talking to himself had calmed him down. "We've all been targeted and all five of us have bounties on our heads."

"What's mine?"

"Bolade "Killer B" Mohammed. Wanted dead or alive with a bounty of ¥500 million." He didn't respond immediately, making Naruto utter. "You alright?"

"I'm upset. Who's going to waste that kind of money when it's clear they don't have it?"

Naruto grunted. "My thoughts exactly. He doesn't know what he's up against."

"Alright then. How are we going to deal with this?"

Instead of Naruto, Sasuke spoke. "Initially, we were going to look for whoever was inside the cartel going against us. But because Azrail is now known, we can deal with him soon. We look up what prison he's in and I have the perfect plan."

Sasuke went on to explain the best way to handle the situation and Bolade couldn't help but smile proudly. The kid really did belong with them. And Naruto voiced that.

"Sasuke. You're as cunning as the devil and twice as pretty."

"I know."

* * *

 _Fuchū Prison_

 _Fuchū, Tokyo, Japan_

 _Tokyo Metropolis_

 _September 14, 2005_

Roll call was different today because they had a new inmate that came in. So although all cells were open, Azrail and the others stayed inside them until the new inmate was checked in.

Azrail didn't care who the new guy was. As long as he stayed on his territory and knew that Azrail ran the place. They would have no problems. Azrail was feared by many for going against the Namikaze Cartel He was feared all around because of his obvious tactics in putting fear in the Namikaze. Of course, all the assassins that he sent to kill Naruto and his main people never came back, but the punks in the prison didn't need to know that.

"Yamanaka, new cellmate," One of the guards yelled in command.

He looked up from his book with a smug grin, ready to intimidate the man. But he froze. He found himself unable to move. Couldn't move, couldn't speak, he was frozen as ice—even his breathing didn't seem real.

He had become catatonic as he stared into the dark eyes of Sasuke Uchiha. Sasuke was in the full prison get up. And he was smirking at Azrail with the most psychotic grin.

There was something odd about him, however. He wasn't in cuffs while they were escorting him and there was a small knife in his hand. It made Azrail stand up with his eyes narrowed. Finally, he could move and breath and understand what was happening.

"What's going on?" he asked, but the guards turned away.

Sasuke sneered and rushed him. Azrail was too confused, too frozen in fear to dodge the stab to his stomach. He gasped as Sasuke leaned up, pushing against him. He thought it was over, but Sasuke didn't stop stabbing. He tried to push the Namikaze off, but it was futile. Sasuke didn't stop stabbing that knife into him until he had done it twenty times.

Azrail collapsed, but Sasuke held him up. At first, there was panic in his heart. Sheer panic, his survival instinct in overdrive, a desperate and futile search for some reprieve. And then there were a few moments of consummate terror. Sasuke Uchiha smiling would be his last memory of life. And then his lungs stopped working. When that happened, they started to burn too. Death was burning and death is slow, no matter what. Unless one's brain went out immediately, they would feel it until they felt nothing ever again.

Then a soft murmur in his ear. "For the Namikaze."

Azrail dropped onto the floor when Sasuke moved back. He put a thumb into his mouth and wiped his teeth. "Aww, gross. His blood got on my teeth." Sighing, he slumped on Azrail's bed and rested his arms behind head. And then he peeked at the prison guards that were still staring at him. "What? You let me." He defended himself. And then he looked around the room. There was a lot of blood in here. He smiled sheepishly. "Oh. You're worried about the blood?"

Standing, the raven pulled Azrail's cover off his bed and covered the man's body. He smiled softly. "There. All clean." And then he slumped back on the bed. "Alright. One day in prison down. Forty more to go."

He could do this. He told Naruto he would.

* * *

 **Korean Words Used Here:**

Yeoboseyo means "hello"

mwo translates to "what"

 **Russian Words Used Here:**

Ona zdes means "she's here."

Kto vas poslal means "who sent you?"

 **Japanese Words Used Here:**

Yameru means "quit/stop."

Meinu means "female dog/bitch." I can't resist Sasuke's psychotic side.

Anata wa nani mo rikai shite imasen translates to "you do not understand," but can be used in slang for "You have no idea."

Watashi no musuko wa koko ni iru means "my son is here."

 **I bet you're all wondering how Sasuke ended up in jail in the first place. :D But, first the title of Bazooka is very obvious for the chapter. First known as a rocket launcher used against tanks, but also known as a term for cocaine powder.**

 **Our five main people are attacked here (Naruto, Sasuke, Shikamaru, Sha, and Bolade) as well as Roh. And Christ, when shit hits the fan, it sure as hell explodes. We see the badass sides of Sas, Shika, Sha, and B, but the vulnerable side of Naruto. And Reo is there to help him up. When dealing with the attempts at their lives, who's was your favorite. Mine was Sha's; I got to show you all a more vicious side of her and how much B impacts her even when he's gone. It's obvious that she still loves him when she tells the Russian man she's just like B. She calls her unforgiving and wild.**

 **I'm really glad I got to write this and you know that the next chapter will be an obvious continuation from their last chat. How the hell did Sasuke end up in prison anyway?**

 **Also, Azrail is gone completely. But that doesn't mean everything's going to be better. Sasuke says that trouble always finds them. Not to mention that someone is in the cartel trying to take them down. Those wanted posters were too personal like Naruto noticed.**

 **Well, hope you guys all find the time to review. Thanks for reading.**


	21. Scrabble

**Scrabble**

 **I know you all must be really angry with me. And I should have told you beforehand that the upcoming three weeks would be busy. I'm taking evening STNA classes at a nursing home and I want to do well so that I can actually become a nursing assistant there. My classes are from 2PM-11PM all the way until September 14. That's why I've been AWOL. However, I finished all my homework for the class in advance so that I can focus on nothing but new chapters. I'm really sorry about this. But when I become an STNA and you guys are getting some good ass Omo, we'll all be satisfied.**

 **The reviews last chapter…. I can't... the reviews last chapter were so wonderful. How do you guys even find the time to say all these sweet things about the characters? How do you guys even find the time to analyze these characters? Gah! You guys are so awesome… I should thank my peeps for this.**

 **HeartSNS: I'm glad you liked the chapter. Shika is freaking awesome. In most of my stories, I can't NOT write him being close to Naruto or being badass and smart. Sasuke's adorable. Naruto's adorable. Everyone's adorable. About Sasuke killing Azrail….no one else could fit that role. I went over who should kill him and although Naruto and Azrail were the obvious enemies, Sasuke just felt right for the job. Thank you for the muse and sorry about being so late.**

 **Nameless Libertad: The badass woman of the story is definitely Sha. I want to show everyone that women can be badass too. Women can be bosses and everything that I show is in Sha. The woman had a bullet lodged in the back of her head and didn't even know, for Christ's sake. She's sweet and gorgeous, but you know she doesn't fuck around. Especially when she called herself an unforgiving wild ass dog. And you found Sasuke dealing with the assassin creepy? :) Sasuke's just crazy. He's off his rocks most of the time and there's plenty more crazy stuff from him to come. TATTOOS! TATTOOS! Pay attention because these are important.**

 **Naruto: Naruto has 2 tattoos. And can you guess what it is? It's a name. A tribute to his late mother/grandmother. Betsy's name is surrounded by sunflowers. His second tattoo is a small one on his wrist and it's an Uchiha symbol for Sasuke. :)**

 **Sasuke: Sasuke has no tattoos at all. HOWEVER, Sasuke does a weird birthmark on his right hand that is shaped like the map of Italy. This is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT for later chapters.**

 **Sha: Sha has about 4 tattoos. But those are a total surprise and you won't learn about them until her backstory is revealed. Sorry. :(**

 **Shikamaru: Shika has one tattoo. On the inside of his wrist is the name "Naruto" in cursive. Most people think it's just his loyalty to the cartel leader, but….now we know why. He's had that tattoo since he was 14.**

 **Bolade has 2 tattoos and they're all homage to Sha. Sha's name is on the back of his neck. There is a naked woman on his arm. Her private area covered by a cloth. That woman is Sha. And the words on the cloth say, "The best curve about her...is her smile."**

 **And that's about it.**

 **Franbunny: Sex between Naruto and Sasuke is always sexy. :) and Sasuke definitely deserved to kill him. For Lee, you know? Thanks for reviewing.**

 **Mama Minato: Hi! :) Welcome. Welcome. Please have a seat and enjoy the ride. And about the ending, it's probably going to be one of those bittersweet endings. You know the sad ones that make you cry, but you're fulfilled. Or I may completely surprise you. It's my specialty. I'm planning for Omo to be 90+ chapters. We've got a long way to go. Thanks for reviewing.**

 **Hotpotata: Reo Yamaguchi is too good for this world. And I didn't expect for him to be your favorite character, but aww. You give Reo so much love. And yes, Sha is the embodiment of Boss Woman in this story. Despite her lack of appearances, Karin's role in this story is SO BIG. and it's going to surprise you. And Azrail's death? We're just getting started. We haven't even hit a climax yet. Shikamaru is God of multitasking. There is nothing he can't do and that's why he's the right-hand man of Naruto Namikaze. And about Bolade. We'll have to see. He's going through a lot right now. And I can't wait for you guys to react to his past. It has been indeed harsher than anyone's in this story. And that's something.**

 **Blackstar0017: It's an honor. Thank you so much. Ugh. I'm gushing. I'm blushing. I'm fainting. Why is everyone so nice? About the children. That's why this story will be long. Because we don't just elaborate on the lives of Sasuke and Naruto. Everyone is a main character here. And we're definitely going to see the children grow. Thanks so much! :)**

 **The Unapologetic: You're perfect. Can I just say that? Because there's nothing more to say. How do you guys find the time to analyze the story and review the things you liked. You're just so perfect. Thank you so much. If you keep this up, my head will get big and then I'm going to end up asking if I could be a scriptwriter for Power.**

* * *

 _Namikaze Mansion_

 _Tokyo, Japan_

 _January 17, 2027_

"So you went to jail again, huh?" Ito asked softly. When Sasuke nodded, Ito couldn't help but smile. He knew it was wrong to actually admire the life of the man closest to Ōmo, but he couldn't help himself.

The newspaper company he worked for had given him standard precautions when he assigned himself to Sasuke Namikaze. Learning about the things that Naruto did would be dangerous. Before he came into this house, inside this house, and when he left, men like Shikamaru Nara were still around to stop Ito from ever making it home...or worse, letting the story get out there. And then there was the sudden fact that Ōmo wasn't the only bad guy, but everyone with him was. Shikamaru Nara was responsible for more than 400 deaths. Bolade "Killer B" Mohammed for almost 4000. Naruto Namikaze more than 7000 deaths in the span of his career. And the man before him, Sasuke "Felony" Namikaze, had gotten countless murder charges against him dropped.

But the man was charming. And he had been hurt too. He was human. Ōmo was human. After the assassination attempts of '05 the world vaguely knew of, Ito knew they weren't invincible. Having heard the story from Sasuke himself, it made the reporter wonder.

"At least you weren't pregnant, though." Sasuke smiled at him too and the man visibly blushed.

"Damn right. Saku and Suzuki were at home and safe. And I had fun in prison. I was a fucking God. Still am. But, listen here." Sasuke smirked and leaned closer to the reporter. "These next stories I'm about to tell you. Are going to be wonderful."

These stories that I have written. Some of these things are true and some of them lies. But they are all good stories.

* * *

 _Japanese Red Cross Nagoya Daini Hospital_

 _Myokencho, Showa Ward, Nagoya_

 _Aichi Prefecture, Japan_

 _July 24, 2005_

"But because Azrail is now known, we can deal with him soon." Sasuke smiled at his husband. "We look up what prison he's in and I have the perfect plan."

The Uchiha blushed subtly when Naruto raised an amused brow and a smirk all at once, but he pulled himself together and cleared his throat. "I go to prison."

The sound of silence was always calm, but when Sasuke said this it had become eerie. Shikamaru's head had shot up from where it rested on the wall and he stared as if Sasuke had shot him. Sha too, stood quietly, her fingers drumming against both her crossed arms. The only one who gave a real reaction to the declaration was Naruto, who had leaned up in both bewilderment and bitterness. " _Don't,_ " he hissed. "Whatever the hell you're thinking about, drop it."

Sasuke laughed softly, unaffected by his husband's anger. "Just hear me out, Naruto."

"Sasuke, a prison is no joke. Especially not Fuchū prison. Azrail won't be your only enemy there. By now, he could run the prison, sprouting lies about what's happening in the outside world. Telling others that he's taken us down, giving them something to look forward to."

At this remark, Bolade spoke solemnly into the phone. "He's right, Sasuke. All prisons are soft until you run into the wrong one. It's not only the people, but security could be loose, intoxicants could be all around, and owing something to someone is a crime. It's hard to survive in a prison without help, but it's even worse when someone helps you out. Once they help you, it's like you're a slave and there's nothing you can do about it."

Sasuke didn't like B's tone; the fear and reminisce in his voice as if Bolade had _lived_ through such things before. Had he? He'd ask his friend another time, away from the ears of others. Now, they needed to gather a plan together and execute it. So he crossed his arms, now offended. "So you think I can't do it, huh?"

"I'm not saying that. But, you have to trust me, a prison is no place for someone like you. You may be smart, but you're not…" he trailed to find better words but winced when there were none. "You're not me, Sasuke. I don't mean it harshly. But, you didn't grow up the way we all did. And the way we grew up is the embodiment of a prison, Sasuke. There's no justice."

"I still think I can do it. I may not be as tough as everyone else, but I'm still tough."

Naruto sighed, exasperated. "Sasuke, you're not hearing wh-"

" _Let him do it, N."_ Bolade's voice came out differently than all the times he'd ever spoken. Usually, his voice was full of power, but it's sympathy now. And Sasuke can't thank the world for a better friend at this time. Naruto stopped and stared bewildered at the phone as if Bolade would see it. "What'd I tell you when you hired Chouji, huh? People are different. I'm here to do what you can't do and you're here to do what I can't. It's the same for everyone in this cartel."

"That's a lie," Naruto said, but it came out more desperate than angry as if he were trying to convince himself. "What if you're wrong, B? What if he gets hurts? Then it's on us." He sighed. He didn't want to push Sasuke aside like he wasn't a part of the team, but there was no way in hell his husband was going to get hurt. He was the leader. And despite reasoning, he was going to make the call. "Sore wa watashi no yobidashidesu. I'm sending someone else in. Anyone can infiltrate a prison and take down one man."

It's Sasuke, not Bolade, who smirks at his husband. Without fault, Sasuke knows his strength and weaknesses. And Sasuke has the power to walk into prison as warden, order the execution of ten men, and disappear. Not because of brute strength and power, but because he's smart. "Not like I can, that's for sure." And Naruto shakes his head in fondness because that's true.

"It's too wisky too send someone else in," Sha murmured. "We still don't know who tha twaitor is. And I think Sasuke can do this."

Shikamaru nodded in determination. "Me too. I think he has the brains to pull it off and I think we should listen to his plan."

Naruto shakes his head. It's easy for them to agree. They've never been in prison before. Not like he and Bolade have. They don't know the grit, grime, injustice, and pain. They don't know what it's like to starve beyond poverty or be tortured like one of Naruto's own victims.

"It's easy for you two to agree since you've never been to prison," Bolade mutters, "but I still think Sasuke can pull this off. He belongs here, just like the rest of us. And it's no coincidence that he got that bounty. He's one of the top fighters in this cartel."

Everyone turned to Naruto then and he glowers. He doesn't want to, but Sasuke is so confident in his plan that he has yet to unfold and the others are rooting for him. Naruto can do nothing, but glare at his husband before saying. "I don't like this and the thought of you going in there is sickening, but if you want this to happen, I'll let it happen."

Sasuke smiled, and Naruto's stomach flipped a bit. "If anyone can pull this off, it's me. I'm a genius like Shikamaru, but I'm ruthless like you. I'll rule that prison in the first hours I'm there."

Naruto shook his head. "You still need to tell me how you're going to pull this off. I want to hear it and I want it to make sense...or you're staying here."

Instead of doing what everyone expected, Sasuke goofily stuck his tongue out at his husband. "Aah," he mocked. "Make me."

"Sasuke," the blond sighed, but he laughed softly. "I swear you should have bumped into me with a warning. May include psychosis and unruly behavior."

"Anyway, before anything, I should teach the ways of the law to you criminals," Sasuke smirked and leaned back against his bed.

Shikamaru's head tilted to the side and his face shown confusion. His brows creased downward and his mouth holding a frown of concentration. "What's 'the law?'"

"Neva ha'd of it," Sha muttered.

"Me neither. It's probably an exotic food."

Bolade laughed on the other end of the phone. "No, it isn't, Naruto. It's obviously a form of duck hair."

Sasuke sneered at the phone and he could see B's smirk even from Africa. He had told Bolade about his younger hairstyle in confidence and this is how the man repaid him. "It's not duck hair! It was a phase!"

The silence was funny after that. It came in a did a few comedic dances to get the raven's stomach flipping. After staring awkwardly at the perplexed faces of Naruto, Sha, and Shikamaru, he settled with a sigh and a soft laugh. And that soft laugh turned into full-on laughter when Bolade snorted into the silence. "I hate you so much," Sasuke laughed.

He liked this. He liked that they could still find a better mood even when they had almost all just died. Even after Rock Lee's death, the c-section, and the assassination attempts, they still managed to get up and fight. The still were strong and they always would be. If this Azrail piece of shit really thought he could come in and tear them down, he didn't know the Namikaze cartel. He didn't know who or what he was going against.

He huffed when Naruto laughed boisterously, going on and on about a picture of Sasuke when he was around 15. "Anyway, I have to commit a felony to go to prison." That shut the blond up and he smirked. "Hn. There are different degrees of felonies, 1st degree being the most vile and 5th being the most minor. I'm going to commit a 5th degree. A small crime, but a crime no less."

"Can you explain how they wo'k. I don't unda'stand how any felony can be mino'."

"Sure. A first-degree felony has a sentence range of 3 to 11 years in prison. Those are major crimes when it comes to rape, voluntary manslaughter, and kidnapping. Second degree sentencing ranges from 2 to 8 years in prison. The crimes are smaller like illegally manufacturing or processing explosives, soliciting prostitution after a positive HIV test, or even abduction."

"You sure do know a lot about this."

"I'm a lawyer. Third degree felony: 9 months to 5 years. Even smaller. Reckless homicide, robbery, theft of anhydrous ammonia. Fourth degree: 6 to 18 months. Crimes include unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, grand theft of a motor vehicle, vehicular assault. And finally, 5th degree. A sentence of 6 to 12 months and crimes like compelling acceptance of objectionable materials, breaking and entering, and gambling. Me myself, I'll be breaking and entering."

There was no reason to ask Sasuke why he chose such a crime because he was good at that. He was smart and cunning and all the more sneaky. Shikamaru frowned. "Yes, but where?"

He looked to smirk at Naruto. "A place I know all too well. A place where the owner isn't going to press heavy charges on me."

Naruto's eyes widened and he shook his head. "No way. Do you know how bad that's going to look if you break into the arcade and _I_ press charges on my own husband?"

"Let Chouji take ownership for a moment. Just until I'm convicted. He's far behind the scenes. No one knows he's connected to the cartel, but us." Naruto couldn't deny that it was smart, but he couldn't help but feel that Sasuke had an ulterior motive. And his eyes narrowed in jealousy. "I know why you want to go to Nagasaki."

Sasuke sighed. "I'm not going to Neji's graduation anymore. There's just too much going on and he'll understand everything that's happened. And if he doesn't, it won't matter. It's not going to ruin our friendship. So, no, not going for him. I'm going because I want revenge."

"On what?" Shikamaru asked.

"Hn. I'm going to get revenge for my damn tooth years ago. I'm going to break into the arcade and fuck that snow cone machine up with a bat."

Naruto gaped, but he couldn't help the nostalgia that passed when he remembered Sasuke breaking his tooth on the snowcone he ate. He sighed contently. _Their first date_. It was Sasuke's worst date ever, he told him once. And it was his best. And still, the blond couldn't help but saying "If you break my machine, I'm going to break your ass."

He didn't realize what he said until Sasuke blushed deeply, trying to hide behind the hospital blanket, and Bolade laughed boisterously. Shikamaru even blushed at his lack of thinking before speaking. Sha stared at Sasuke with a small smile as the Uchiha tried to hide under his cover. Naruto blinked before laughing sheepishly. "Uh. Sorry about that. I didn't mean to actually...I didn't mean it that way."

"Sasuke, please continue befo'e he passes out."

"Alright. If I break into the arcade and Chouji presses minimal charges, they'll give me about two months. Because my residence is in Tokyo, they'll extradite me back, giving me no choice but to serve in Fuchū."

"That's actually extremely observant. But how are you going to get to him?"

"Come on. Do you honestly think the most dangerous man in the prison is going to have a cellmate? And you make cash, don't you?" Sasuke smiled and his husband smirked cockily.

"I make a few billion. Nothing big."

"Exactly. Money is the root of all evil. And your money is going to help me room with Azrail and kill him. All you have to do is pay the prison. Let me room with him and I'll have him done before they put me in the records."

Naruto sighed. "Sasuke Uchiha. This is why I married you. You're as cunning as the devil and twice as pretty."

Sasuke smiled softly and crossed his arms. "I know."

"But if you don't do this right, they're going to eat you the fuck alive."

"Not if I get the first plate."

* * *

Two hours after they went over the plan again and thought of the excessive factors, the room was cleared out. Sha had gone to check the perimeter of the hospital and after she resided to a nearby hotel. Shikamaru took Naruto to another hospital room so that Sai could check his burns and properly heal them. And Bolade had told everyone that he needed rest for the next morning so that he could establish his presence back in Nigeria. Sasuke wished his friend well, knowing more than anything that it would be hard.

The Uchiha sighed. After hearing how tragic B's past was, it was easy to worry about him. It was easy to pray that he would be fine and worry about him more than oneself. What if things went wrong in Abuja? What if B wasn't as strong as he hoped? What if he went in and what he thought would happen didn't work out? Sasuke brought his knees to his chest, his worries for his friend deepening. What if he died? What then? How would they cope? Especially Naruto who had been taught by Bolade to be stronger?

He heard the soft patter of his grandfather's footsteps before the man even spoke. Reo was light on his feet as he had been since a young child. Just as light on his feet as Bolade was. Tiptoeing away from the very very bad aspects of life. "What's wrong?"

When Sasuke looked up, Reo didn't expect to see his grandson's lips quivering and his eyes growing larger as the water flood them. "What if he dies, Oji? What if Bolade dies there?"

His look of confusion was expected. He didn't know. Didn't understand the monster that had waited so long for Bolade to return. Reo was clueless and he could not reassure him. The only one that could was Naruto, but the blond had, evidently, his own problems to deal with. "Sasuke-"

"I mean. There are things there that can kill someone, no matter how strong you are. Bolade can die and we'd never know about it. He could hurt himself once he sees everything. Once he recounts everything. What if he-" Sasuke cut himself off with a sharp gasp. Bolade had sounded so calm and happy on the phone. But what if it was all just a facade? What if he was trying to appear stronger when really he was being torn apart? "I have to call him." With as much ease as a shaking wind, Sasuke stood to make his way to the hospital room's phone. He blinked as he slumped in a chair, dialing for an international call.

There was a heavy grunt after three minutes. One filled with sleepiness and a pidge of anxiety. One that scared Sasuke to the ends of the earth. How could he? How could he not notice the facade that Bolade had been putting up? "You do realize I'm tired as hell, right?"

Sasuke sighed. "It's only seven in Abuja. You trying to tell me you haven't been sleeping?"

At his voice, Bolade sighed on the other end. Sasuke could hear his mattress creak, giving away the impression that the man had calmed down and slumped back into lying down. "That's exactly what I'm saying. You alright? Did something happen?"

"Nah." Reo placed Sasuke's restless son on the floor and the baby sat there for a moment looking around. It was 4 in the morning; why the hell Saku already asleep was a mystery to everyone. Maybe he was afraid for everyone and couldn't sleep knowing what had happened. "We're all good in Japan. We really want to know what's going on with our friend in Africa."

He watched Saku take notice of a toy boat across the room and after a moment of deciding whether he wanted it, the baby adjusted to his knees to crawl for it. Reo himself sat on the bed, watching Sasuke with a soft smile. "You know I'm fine, Sasuke."

"Just fine? Not fantastic? Not great."

A soft sigh. "Yeah. Just fine. Nothing more and nothing less. And that's alright, right?"

"Of course it is."

And B sighed again as if it were the only thing he could actually do tonight. "I want to come home so much. Since I've landed, I haven't actually been anywhere near my old house. I just booked a room. But, I know I have to do this if I want to be better. And I know it's alright to be afraid. Should I come home?"

Sasuke wanted to say yes. To just tell B to come home before something terrible happened. But that would be wrong. Whether Bolade Mohammed came home now or in a year, he would be unhappy. He would be hurt and lost. But healing how wounds a year from now would be a lot easier. And there was nothing more to say, but "so you're being a wuss?"

"So it _is_ a duck's ass? Your hair, I mean."

"Fuck you."

And it got a chuckle out of Bolade's chest at least. It was low and if you didn't know him well enough, it would sound like a drum, but it was indeed a laugh.

When Sasuke looked back over at Saku, the baby was eyeing something on the floor from where he was playing. It was a small toy banana he'd forgotten before. It helped when his gums were hurting, but now the baby couldn't put that in his mouth. It had been contaminated. Saku knew it was wrong. The moment he stole a peek at Sasuke and then Reo told the raven it was wrong. Trying to be as subtle as possible proved it to be wrong.

Using his tiny thumb and index finger, Saku grabbed for the banana. Onced it over, squeezed it and then tried to stuff it, along with his whole fist, into his mouth.

And Sasuke snapped his own fingers to get the boy's attention. "Ah ah," He called disapprovingly. "Don't touch that." Saku looked up at him and pouted. Whatever the reason, Sasuke wouldn't waver. "Put it down."

When Saku wanted his way, he figured that being nice was his greatest asset, despite his temper. When he was being told not to do something, he would cutely request a kiss by puckering his lips and humming the M consonant. This trick always seemed to get everyone. But not Sasuke or Naruto. They would kiss him like he wanted and still tell him to stop what he was doing. Sasuke poked out his lips too. "Mmmm-mou." He finished. Saku sat there a moment surprised by the 'mou' added to the end of his mother's kiss. Attention undivided, the baby dropped the banana and began to crawl toward his mother, a smile on his face.

On the phone, B sighed. "If you start singing to him, I'm gonna throw up." Sasuke laughed softly but said nothing in return.

When Saku reached him, the boy used his knee to stand on his two legs. He smiled up at Sasuke. "Maaaa-ma. Ma ma."

Sasuke smiled and B muttered, "Did he just say….?"

"Mhm. Mommy." Sasuke put the phone down and went to grab for the child, setting him on his lap. "Mommy. Say 'mommy'."

"It's official, I'm disgusted," Bolade joked.

Sasuke laughed, bouncing his son on his knee. "Shut up, Mohammed. You're being jealous that you aren't here to get some Saku loving. Isn't that right, Saku? Tell him he's only missing you."

He took the moment to put the phone up to his son's ear at the same time Bolade muttered "Jesus Christ, Sasuke." Saku's brows furrowed in bewilderment and he yanked his head away, staring at the phone as if he'd seen a ghost. Saku knew consonants well, so it was easy to distinguish B's name from anyone's. And he knew B well and liked him a lot, his deep voice recognized.

Sasuke laughed and the boy looked up, asking a soft and quiet "B?" When he nodded, Saku smiled and grabbed hold of the phone. "Bbbbbbbb."

"Five seconds on the phone and you're already being annoying, kid."

And Saku giggled as if it were the reaction he hoped for. "BB…" and then "hi!"

"Hey, Saku. How ya doing?"

"Abababa. Ooooo. Bababa."

"That's right. I'm not actually in the phone. I'm all the way in the continent I grew up in. It's called Africa. A very beautiful place and I promise to take you, your mom, and your dad here whenever you want."

"Abaa." Saku had yelled it into the phone, his brows furrowed in anger. But Sasuke laughed softly because it seemed like the boy was telling B to come home. He must have missed seeing the black man. And after the events that made him so restless, Saku could only be hoping that B too was safe.

B chuckled. "I want to come home. Believe me, it's one of the things I'm willing to pray for. But I have to be strong. And show your mom the only wuss in our circle is the one she's raising."

Saku giggled despite the insult and put his lips on the phone's receiver, making his mother grimace. Children put their lips on anything. "Mmmm," he hummed and quickly put the phone back to his ear.

"Don't even joke like that. I'm not going to do that disgustingly sweet thing your parents do."

Saku frowned and repeated his actions, waiting for the response he wanted.

"No, kid."

"Mmmm…"

"Fine. Mmmm-mou."

Saku smiled and giggled, catching Sasuke's eye at the moment, and smiling even bigger, something that seemed impossible.

"Alright alright," Bolade mumbled. "And that's the only thing your getting from me tonight. Now, I have to go to sleep now. I have a really big day tomorrow. Okay?"

Sasuke frowned softly. He had thought that talking to B and making him feel a bit more confident would ease his nerves too. But now he was just as afraid of hanging up as he was when he called. Maybe even more. In spite of those obvious signs, Sasuke sighed. There was nothing he could do now. Bolade's mind was set. He wouldn't come home until the year was up.

"Can you say 'bye bye' to B, Saku? Say 'bye bye'."

Saku leaned into his mother with a soft yawn. "B. Bye bye." Sasuke laughed softly and grabbed hold of the phone, putting it to his ear. "Now, can you say bye to uncle Sasuke, B?" He could already feel the sneer that leaked through the phone.

"You can't be serious even if it kills you."

"Of course I can. I got through college as a top student right?"

"Speaking of college and getting through, have you spoken to Neji about not being able to attend? Does he even know that Naruto and Reo left because of what happened?"

Saku shifted so that his head feel low on his mother's abdomen and Sasuke began to run circles in the boy's hair. "Neji doesn't know yet. I was going to tell him tomorrow. Give him details of what happened. Tell him why I can't attend and now why Naruto can't."

"Will he understand? Because if he doesn't, I can give him a talk for you."

"So you can give him the intimidating father talk where you squeeze his shoulder as you say nice innocent things?"

"No, you idiot. That's the mother talk."

Sasuke laughed softly. "Anyway, I'm sure he'll understand how tough it can be right now. And then he'll hit on me."

"Hit on you?"

"There are a lot of messages of Neji professing his love, trying to persuade me to leave Naruto, and the reasons why he and I would look good together."

On the other side of the room, Reo sneered softly, obviously angry that Neji had no respect for Ōmo's and Sasuke's marriage. Bolade, however, laughed loud enough to stir Saku, signaling for Reo to come over and pick him up. "Can you please send me those? I'm bored and a good laugh won't kill me."

"So you're just going to laugh at my pain, you dick face?" Reo gave him a pointed look to which he apologetically smiled.

"Oh please. I bet you're using them for entertainment too. Scare Naruto a bit even though you won't ever leave him?"

"How did you know?"

"I just do. Anyway, I'm gonna go now. Send me the messages in the next five minutes, alright?"

"M'kay. Bye."

"Bye, Sas."

Immediately after hanging up, Sasuke stood and went over to the hospital dresser, grabbing his personal phone and going to messages. In Neji's and his conversations, there were various messages scattered that stuck out.

 _I always want you to be safe Sasuke, and that's why my love sticks out._

 _Naruto is only going to hurt you in the end._

 _Have you seen how much Saku likes me? He may like me more than his own father._

Sasuke snorted at the last message. Saku loves Naruto so much that it had become common law in the cartel that the boy was to be treated like a prince. After taking after Naruto, the boy wanted to be around him all the time. And he didn't really _enjoy_ Neji's company because of taking after Naruto.

With a sigh, he texted Bolade quickly. _Ready for these screenshots?_

A few minutes later, B replied. **Okay...go.**

Sasuke sent about forty messages in a span of 10 photos. He knew that B would have a good laugh about that in the morning, but before he put his phone down, he couldn't help but feel empty.

He picked back up his phone and texted, his heart pouring every ounce of genuine into every word he typed. _Goodnight, Bolade. Please be safe and careful. And always call me if you're feeling down._

He didn't wait for the reply as he yawned, but he knew B would get it so he wasn't so worried.

He just hoped everyone would be okay. Physically for Sha and Naruto, but mentally for Bolade. The black man was a skilled Hitman, the true definition of it. He had killed his own perpetrator by stabbing each of her pressure points, giving her a painless and confusing death. He was strong in that area. But Sasuke prayed that whatever awaited him in Nigeria, he hoped B would be okay.

* * *

"Could you lift your arms for me?"

Naruto complied wincing as the burn scabs were stretched and further heated. However, the pain was at it's slightest now that Sai had cleaned them properly and placed ointment on them. They didn't hurt as much as before.

He couldn't help but to watch Sai as he wrapped the bandages around his torso now could he ignore that stupid sad face Shikamaru was trying to hide. "How do they look, Saitama? The burn scars, I mean." It made Sai tense a bit, almost dropping the bandages and it made Shikamaru pout. "Give me honest answers too. I don't care."

"There are various small scabs on your back. They look like craters. Dents going into your skin to the white meat of your muscle. Around the so-called craters, the scabs have a black barrier, where the skin is still burned. it won't look like that for long. But the scars will never go away. They'll become pink leathery parts of your back."

Naruto grimaced, but Sasuke's stupid words had come to mind. _You're still really hot. Really. And I bet you look even hotter with a few scars._ And it made him smile slightly. "Thank you, Saitama. I'm sure you're really sleepy and that's all I need really."

Sai grabbed his bag with a soft smile. "Alright. I'll be back tomorrow morning, er...later with some prescribed pain medication that you'll need to take daily. Bye. Bye, Shikamaru. It was good seeing you again despite the circumstances."

Naruto waved happily. His doctor was so wonderful and friendly. Shikamaru waved quietly, a soft smile of his own. Once he was gone, Naruto did his best to turn to Shikamaru without disturbing his bandages. "So...now that we're here. You want to listen to Jay-Z's the Black Album."

Shikamaru sighed in exasperation. Of all things, he wanted to listen to his favorite musical artist. What about discussing what happened? What about almost dying?

"I hope you know that you insulted Jay-Z's entire life with that sigh. There were so many hits on that album."

"Yes. I know. I've heard all of them. You play them so much. Over and over."

"Of course. Why buy an album if you aren't going to listen to the songs over and over?"

"I prefer classical music. Like Happy End."

Naruto laughed. "Of course. I'll never forget about your obsession with the Japanese Beatles."

"They are their own folk rock band with a touch of traditional Japan music. How much can you fucking hate?"

Naruto smiled softly at his friend's exasperation, giving Shikamaru some time to calm down and once him over. They were quiet for a moment, both men thinking about the future and the present as if thinking would make it less scary.

Shikamaru sighed softly. "Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay?"

The blond looked up in confusion. "Of course I am," he answered; hostile and offended.

And Shikamaru put his knees up to his chin to comfort himself. He always did that. Even when they were kids with their worries so small, Shikamaru always comforted himself in a physical way. Whether he had seen a fight in school or had even lost something so important to him, he would comfort himself. As they got older, his worries became more Naruto-oriented. And maybe, what had happened wasn't good on his health.

Naruto frowned softly, the guilt seeping into him like poison. "Of course I am," he repeated this time softer. Shikamaru nodded, his bottom lip going in between his teeth and his eyes never leaving the floor. And timidly, Naruto could only ask "are you okay?"

"It's just...what if you weren't? What if you were closer to that suicide bomber and it wasn't just your back?" And then he looks up in a frightened way, his eyes hueing onto red before the tears even come. "What if you died? What if Sha died?"

"Shik," he murmured, confused by the onslaught of emotions. He didn't know what to say to comfort his friend. He never did know what to say. Not even if this had happened before.

"I just get scared you know. I mean, you have these burns marks on your back...and Sha had a _fucking_ bullet in the back of her head. What if they weren't all _attempts?"_

Naruto sighed. Standing, he walked over to his friend's seat and pulled him onto his feet. Putting both hands on Shikamaru's shoulders, they stared at one another for a few minutes, one saddened and the other angry. "Shut up, Nara."

"What?"

"I said shut up. I'm not going to die. I'm a fucking God, you hear? And Sha's not going to die either. You don't have to worry. As long as I have a wussy friend like you who needs protecting from nuns, I'm not going to die. Despite getting beat up badly, Sha's going to live and do whatever the fuck it is that Michael Myers does. And with my new third degree wounds, I'm going to become a burnt serial killer who uses a glove armed with razors to kill my victims in their dreams, causing their deaths in the real world too."

He had thought that the speech would only make Shikamaru laugh, but it came out choked and struggled. Some tears were falling, but that wise smirk was still on his face. "I fucking hate you."

"Lies. All lies. Shikamaru Nara, hating his best friend? No way. You love me."

And Shikamaru smiles softer now, more resigned as if he's keeping a secret not even his God should know. "Yeah. I do love you."

"See what happens when we're honest with each other?" Naruto smirked.

"No." Shikamaru shook his head, looking up with a tint to his cheeks. "I mean I love you. Like really love you."

The moment of silence that follows is uncertain. It comes from Naruto who is unsure of what exactly is being said. And his own denial of knowing it was coming and not properly preparing for the moment. It comes from Shikamaru, who is hesitant in his crossed arms, hands and lips. Shikamaru, who is so afraid of rejection, he'll hold an emotion in for a decade of his life.

And the moment of silence becomes so uncertain, that it steps out of the hospital room awkwardly, encouraging the moment of silence that is brave.

"It's not on purpose at all. It just happened over time. Growing up, I thought it was just because best friends always wanted to be around each other, but when I got to comparing Karin and Ino to you, I knew something was...odd. It's hard to forget you because you've never forgotten me. And you know that. You understand that. Because we both know...I just hate being forgotten. And no matter how many people came into our lives, you never forgot about me. You made me a priority. You _cared."_

And Shikamaru doesn't know what to feel about the small smile that Naruto gives. As if he can't believe that a monster like him can actually make someone feel so secure. As if it warms his icy heart.

"And it might sound so fucked up and crazy, but when I met you, it was like I knew we were going to be close. You saw that I was quiet and a little antisocial, but you still got close. You still tried to keep me safe. And I think I'm always going to love you. Always. You can't get over your first love and I know it. I'm smart. I'm going to choose you for the rest of myself. And that's odd. Over Sasuke, over Hidan, over myself, I'm going to choose you." Shikamaru smiled softly. "And now you're married, so I know whatever I say won't matter-"

"It matters," Naruto whispers as if to comfort him. But the odd thing is that Shikamaru is okay. He feels like he's been holding onto this pretty flower for so long and it feels good to plant it in the dirt.

"But, I always thought that if I ever did have the courage to tell you beforehand. You'd love me back. Maybe. I don't know." He crosses his arms and looks down as if there's dirt to kick there for comfort. There isn't.

"It's not crazy shit," Shikamaru whispers. "It's not how Neji loves Sasuke. I don't want to be with you or anything. I don't want to break you apart. And it doesn't hurt that you're with Sasuke." And his eyes tear up as he thinks of his next words. Because never would any words be truer than they. "Because Sasuke's soul is so beautiful. So fucking beautiful and just right for you. I know that. So I would never want to go back and wish to tell you sooner. I like things the way they are. Even if I do love you. Even if I ever fall in love with Hidan, I'm going to always love you. But, I'm okay with that. Because it doesn't hurt."

He inhales after, visibly. And Naruto, who has been listening with a small smile, finally speaks. He stares at Shikamaru with a smile that isn't pity, but just admiration. Not admiration of love, but pride. And he does that stupid thing where he hugs Shikamaru abruptly when the raven is down. He hugs him like when they were kids in that stupid picture. The one hanging up in the first car he bought.

In the picture, they were five. And Naruto had hugged Shikamaru so abruptly, he had nearly knocked him over.

"Why are you crying?" Is the first thing he asks.

And Shikamaru laughed. "Because it's like... You know the longer you keep duct tape on your skin, the worse it stings when you take it off. It's like that."

"I do love you, Shik. You're irreplaceable, you know that? You're my brother and I can't have you back if I lose you. When you got shot, I didn't care what was happening. I dropped everything and came to you. Because I thought you would die. And I was scared. I love Sasuke. So much that it scares me, but don't ever think that I'd ever just leave you behind."

"I never thought that. And I think that's why I'm okay." Shikamaru smiled and wiped his face. "I know it's not the best tim after all that's happening, but I was scared. I still am. I don't like seeing you hurt even when I know you're capable of doing things on your own."

Naruto nods and gently leans forward, planting his lips on his friend's forehead. Not romantically, but for comfort. "If I weren't already with Sas, I would have loved you back. I would have cherished you like a king. But I can't do that now. So I make sure Hidan is doing it. If he doesn't, I'm going to fucking hurt him."

At the mention of Shikamaru's darling orthodox, the raven laughed softly. "He's a little hesitant around you. And Hidan's such a sinner that being hesitant isn't in his blood. Did you….?"

"I may or may not have told him that I would murder him alive if he hurt you in any way."

"Murder him alive?"

Naruto smiled sheepishly, squeezing Shikamaru tighter. "It's a new _skill_ I'm working on. It probably wouldn't interest you and B since you two tend to eliminate so quickly. But Sasuke would definitely enjoy learning it. Putting people in pain is kind of his thing."

"I really hate to break up this best friend thing you two have going on," Naruto unconsciously shielded his friend from the door as Nagato stood smiling sheepishly. "But, Yahiko was so worried about uncle Naruto that he demanded we come immediately after Reo called."

Naruto smiled softly at the sleeping boy on his older cousin's back and then at the obvious sunken eyes of Nagato. "Did he realize that he'd be asleep when he arrived?"

Nagato shrugged. "Kids, right?" And then his face split into concern when Naruto actually took the time to stand closely observe the sleeping Yahiko. His back wasn't exposed at all, meaning that the entire area must be covered in burns.

Naruto smirked poked Yahiko's nose, making the boy squirm softly and open his eyes. "Uncle Naruto?"

"Ōmo" the blond corrected, eating a soft jab from the boy.

Yahiko smiled. "How come uncle Naruto is always a target?"

"That's because uncle Naruto is a very disliked man," Nagato murmured.

Yahiko gaped gently against his father's shirt. "B-but, I like uncle Naruto." And the sentiment is so innocent that Naruto can't help but smile softly. Yahiko is soft and like Naruto, he won't understand how cruel the world really is until he's 11. But that's okay. He has five years of doing what he wants.

* * *

 _The air is as cold as death; chilling, dry and stale. It bruises his face when it blows, telling Sasuke he is not welcome in this dark field where bad things have happened._

 _The man stops, the crunch the leaves beneath his feet stopping with him, and looks up at the sky. The sun is there; he knows it. He can feel it. But he can't see even though there are no clouds in the sky. The sun is there, but it's covered by the dark._

" _Naruto!" At the sudden cry of his husband's name, Sasuke falls back. It's so dry, the scream. So dry and full of pain that Sasuke's eyes soak instantly with his own tears. He doesn't know why he's crying, but it hurts. The scream is so painful. "Naruto!"_

 _The raven covers his ears. He doesn't want to hear it. He doesn't want to be here._

 _The leaves shuffle although there is now wind and Sasuke hasn't moved yet. Someone is near him. "Naruto!"_

 _Sasuke looks up to the distressed being. Its eyes are large and frantic; afraid of being alone. Its hair is shaggy, and in a full bowl cut around his head, dark and shiny. He's small and even in death, he doesn't belong in this place._

 _Lee is falling over thin air and screaming in the forest. And his tears mimic Sasuke's. "Naruto!" He screams again._

" _Stop" Sasuke has the courage to hiss. And like his last dream, Lee looks directly at him. His big eyes widen even more. "Sasuke," he whispers._

" _That's not fair!" He points at the thing shakily. "Stop. You don't get to look like him. Stop! That's not fair!"_

 _Lee shakes his head. "Sasuke. I know." And then he drops to his knees and bows so that his head is on the surface. Sasuke can't tell if he's praying or desperate. "It's not fair, Sasuke. I just. I just want to go home." He cries thereafter and Sasuke cries too._

" _Home? Lee? Where is home?" He asks, trying to make the raven feel better._

 _Lee's fist ball up a dry leaf and he looks like he's in pain when he looks at Sasuke desperate. "It's not fair! Being held hurts more than dying."_

* * *

 _Japanese Red Cross Nagoya Daini Hospital_

 _Myokencho, Showa Ward, Nagoya_

 _Aichi Prefecture, Japan_

 _July 24, 2005_

 _11:00 AM_

Sasuke blinked rapidly as he arose. He blinked away the sleep rapidly and he felt so tired. As if the sleep he had wasn't adequate.

He could hear Naruto talking somewhere in the room as well as Saku's soft murmurs of confirmation. Looking to his left, he sighed in relief when there were no dry leaves littering the floor. And he could see the sun shining through the window.

Naruto was on the floor, his shirt still off and bandages covering his torso and arms. Saku was sitting between his legs babbling about everything, his Straw Hat nearly covering his eyes. Before them, both was a shape sorter toy. And currently, Saku was trying to stuff his cylinder into the square shaped hole.

Naruto was watching him, his eyes half-lidded in adoration of his son's obvious struggle. Saku huffed softly and moved the cylinder away from the square hole. He looked at each hole for a long moment, his soft dark eyes stopping on the circle before stuffing it in there. When it for perfectly, Saku expectantly looked back.

Naruto clapped softly. "Yay." He cheered, smiling when Saku repeated him. "Good job, Sūpaman." Saku smiled and went back to look at his toy, picking up the star-shaped object next.

"Anata wa warui yume o mimashita ka?" Sasuke didn't know his husband was addressing him until Naruto actually looked at him. The blond was smiling softly at him and he smiled too.

"I wouldn't say bad. At least not this time. Just….wierd. Lee was there and he kept calling you." Sasuke could hardly remember the rest of the dream. But he felt like he knew what Lee wanted. Maybe… "I think I haven't let him go yet. I'm not letting him rest."

Naruto turned his head in concern. "What makes you say that?"

Sasuke sat up as Saku fit the star object in its designated hole. He looked back at Naruto although the blond was looking away. He huffed loudly and grabbed Naruto's chin. "Dadadadadada."

Naruto looked back at his son and clapped when he looked at the finished hole. He clapped and to make up for not paying attention, he placed a sloppy kiss on his son's forehead, letting a loud smacking noise out. Saku giggled and pushed away.

"Kare wa sore o itta." Sasuke whispered back. "He was crying. He said being held was worse than dying. So maybe I have to let him go so he can move on."

Naruto wasn't so much a spiritual person, so maybe that was hard to see in his eyes. "I understand how you must feel, Sas, but it was a dream. So just don't stress yourself about it."

Sasuke nodded although he was still in thought. Trying to get his mind off the subject, for now, Sasuke realized that Saku was with them but not Oji. "Where's Oji?"

He noticed Naruto's hot smile and bit his lip at it. "He took Joō and Koshaku for a walk."

"Queen and Duke?" Sasuke questioned. "How did they get all the way here? I thought they were with-"

Naruto nodded his head to Sasuke's right. And sure enough, Minato, the man in charge of the dogs, was asleep on the small sofa bed, Yahiko's small body over his stomach. Minato was snoring loudly and Sasuke didn't even realize it. Laughing softly, he shook his head. "You act just like your father."

Naruto smirked at him. "Going through a phase right now. I'm still trying to figure out if that's a bad or good thing."

Sasuke observed how safe Yahiko looked curled against his granduncle. How there was no fear in his sleepy eyes. As if Minato would protect him from anything. "Definitely a good thing."

* * *

 _Aichi Prefecture, Japan_

 _July 24, 2005_

 _12:00 PM_

Joō's eye was healing slower than usual, but Reo was happy that everyone was supporting her. Since the accident, Sasuke had moved furniture around in the house that suite her needs, so it wasn't odd to find everything in the living room or kitchen on its right side so that she could see it. Naruto was taking Joō to rehabilitation classes that focused on her other relying senses as well as trauma. It was baby steps for her and it would be that way until the next year maybe. It was like Joō was learning how to walk again since she was so afraid to hurt herself again. And they all put Joō around Saku and Koshaku as much as possible. For Koshaku and Saku together were rowdy and to have Joō feel like she wasn't a burden was to have her get rowdy too. Naruto didn't want her to feel like they were stepping on their toes around her. She may be a dog, but in Joō's mind, she was Ōmo's dog.

When Ino had attacked Sasuke while he was pregnant, they had also put Koshaku through minimal rehabilitation for his leg. Ino had scratched it to the bone. And Duke may act silly often, but as Naruto often put it, "The honorable Duke got through that like a motherfucking G." Duke ran with a limp for months and always stood on high alert. He had gotten Ino the most when he and his twin ate her alive. The dogs were strong. And they'd get through this better than anyone could.

Reo liked walked them, even when he was tired and the chemotherapy they had him on tried to ruin his life. He enjoyed being around his family. Turning onto a street, he watched as Queen stopped curiously. The Doberman stood high like a horse, her nose sniffing the air like a bloodhound. Her brother was trying to eat some patch of dirt until she knocked shoulders with him as if to say 'stop goofing off.' Koshaku grumbled at her, but when he stood too, the dog tensed up.

Immediately, he tried to get away from the leash and run down the street. Reo grunted as he tried to keep him close. But Duke continued to thrash away from the leash. Finally, the dog managed to stand on his back two legs while the leash held him up by his throat. His bear-like paws were in the air and he snarled loudly down the street. His shark eyes never left the grey car down the eery street and never once could Reo not see his dagger-like incisors. The only reason for Koshaku's sudden change in mood would be only if someone was in danger. Someone he cared about. Joo looked back up at him, her brown eyes sad as she tried to make him turn around. Away from the street. Reo took one look down the street.

Squinted at the grey car that was now hastily trying to pull away and turned around. Tugging on Koshaku's leash roughly, the old man tried making his way to back to the hospital with a peculiar thought in his mind.

 _Was that Neji? And if so, what was he doing in Nagoya?_

When Reo made it back to the hospital, his chest hurt tremendously. The man sat down on a seat in the main lobby of the building, and bend down to cover up the fact that he was holding it. Joo licked his face and Koshaku whimpered, almost apologizing for acting the way he did. The man smiled and pat both their heads. "It's alright." He hated the chemotherapy. It took away most things he used to be able to do. And the radiation was so built up in his system from the bombing, it was hard to get through life some days. There were some days in his life worth both life and death.

The man sighed when the pain faded into another day. Standing, he sighed and made his way to the room of Sasuke's. It was nearly crowded. Yahiko and Naruto were on the floor with Saku, reading to him. And Minato was sitting on Sasuke's bed. The two were discussing….Reo sighed...marijuana. He loved his grandson dearly, but he often wondered why Sasuke smoked to cope. Even so, he was happy the cigarette use had been deduced. He was happy that Sasuke wasn't smoking radiation anymore.

Minato sighed in concern and rubbed his son in law's arm. "Well, how did it look? because you may have smoked the Sativa marijuana. It's more energetic than Indica. If you want something that's more relaxing, I can head out to Columbia for you."

"It was light and the leaves were skinnier. And you have a farm in Columbia?"

Naruto grunted in amusement by them. But Yahiko looked up. "What's marijuana?" he asked. The blond's mood changed instantly, and he glared daggers at his father and husband.

"Out there," he hissed. "Not in here." And then he turned to Yahiko. "It's nothing. Just a poison that makes you see a monster before you die." And he secretly smiled when Yahiko childishly gasped and covered his ears.

Reo made his presence known. He cleared his throat and wiped the sweat from his eyes and the fear from his heart. Naruto was here. He would be safe. "I think someone just tried to hurt me."

The room grew quiet then. Minato looked up with sharp eyes as if he couldn't believe that someone would try to hurt Reo, soft soft Reo, of all people. Naruto glared down at the floor, making his father nod determinedly and stand. He grabbed hold of Yahiko's hand and Saku too, nodding at the man concerned when he stepped out. When they were gone, Reo came in to sit on the bed with a heavy sigh, letting go of Joo and Kohaku's leashes in the process. "I think someone just tried to kill me. And if it weren't for Duke and Queen, I think it would have happened."

Sasuke gaped and put his hand over his mouth. He tried blinking as fast as he could. But it was to no avail. And it broke Reo's heart. He didn't want to be the reason behind Sasuke's fears. Not at all. Not when he was already one of them. Not when Sasuke was afraid that his grandfather would die any day now.

"I didn't see who it was." He wanted to say Neji. He swore he saw him, but maybe he was out of it. He's an old man with a mind still back in 1945 Nagasaki. It could have been all in his head. "There was a grey car that sped off before I could get any information. But, I know someone was trying to kill me." _Neji. Neji. Neji._ "I don't know who it was."

It was one thing to try and kill Shikamaru, who was the right-hand man of Naruto Namikaze. Or Killer B, who was responsible for putting people to death as easy as the judge put them in jail. Or Sha, who was the body of the streets. If Sha died, so did the soldiers and the Falcons. Or Sasuke, who had taken down an entire cartel through manipulation and deceit. Naruto, the head honcho. Hell, it was one thing to try and kill Karin, or Nagato, Madoka, or even Chouji. But it was personal when it was Reo. That meant that Azrail wasn't only trying to hurt them physically, but mentally too. Just like with Lee. Reo didn't deserve to be put into this mess. Not at all.

Naruto sneered at the ground. "I can't tolerate him in the world any longer." he was referring to Azrail. "I need him dead. Trying to take us out is one thing, but _Oji_? I need him out of here. I want to murder him."

Sasuke nodded, determined despite the tears in his eyes. "We will. We're going to hurt him so badly for trying to get Oji and hurting Lee. We're going to kill him. We're going to murder him alive."

* * *

 _Japanese Red Cross Nagoya Daini Hospital_

 _Myokencho, Showa Ward, Nagoya_

 _Aichi Prefecture, Japan_

 _September 1, 2005_

"She's so cute," Sasuke gushed quietly to himself. No matter what was going on in the world, Sasuke couldn't ignore the cuteness of his children. Already, Saku showed signs of growing up to be a handsome young man and Suzuki was so pretty. Her eyes were like he brother's big and wide and dark. And her smile was so pretty. And she was so strong. Suzuki had grown so much since she was born, surprising even Sai. She was breathing on her own and moving around in her tube more. She didn't belong in Neonatal care anymore.

Sasuke lifted his Camcorder toward the two babies on the hospital bed. Suzuki was tucked protectively like a mummy inside her green blanket. As they found out, she was a more energetic child like Sasuke once was, who had rolled out of bed so much as a child that eventually a soft mattress on the floor waited on him. Suzuki was just like that, trying to roll somewhere, go places she had yet to see. Saku, on the other hand, was much calmer, a quiet boy like his father, more independent and trustworthy not to roll so much. He was out of his blanket, kicking softly in the air, but never straying East or West. Both children's gazes went from Sasuke to the ceiling, but never to their sides. Suzuki was too young to actually notice her surroundings, much less her colors. While Saku was like Naruto. He saw one thing, and no matter what, he'd focus on that forever.

"Saku," Sasuke called softly. "Look at the Camcorder."

At the call of his mother, the boy's eyes wavered to him. Sasuke must have been staring expectantly because the boy murmured a broken 'mommy' and tried handing him the straw hat as if he knew Sasuke wanted it all along.

Sasuke raised the Camcorder. "Say hi to the camera."

"Hiii." Saku giggled, the words tickling his tongue apparently. Beside him, his sister had begun to blink at Sasuke abruptly as if he made such a sound.

"Look next to you, my babies. Look next to you." He encouraged. But Saku just smiled at him toothless and Suzuki yawned. He sighed. They wouldn't understand unless they were extremely interested.

Looking around the room, the man stared into Saku's crib, spotting the yellow rattle toy that was so loud and so annoying. But it would surely get their attention. _Fuck, but it's so annoying,_ his mind argued. Still, the man unconsciously moved over to the crib and as he made his way back to his babies, Saku had mischievously shifted an inch closer to the edge, he rattled the toy.

And it was a delight really that both his babies, with the same eyes and pout, looked up at once to the loud sound. Saku, despite it being his toy, almost looked like he was wincing. Like if he wanted to sit up and throw the toy he would. Oftentimes, Sasuke knew his son wasn't shaking the thing for amusement, but rather as a discipline.

But in his mind, his mommy had laid him here, so he wasn't going to show his independence so much. Suzuki looked up first in shock and then curiosity. Her dark eyes tried to zero in on where it was really coming from, her two-month-old brain working wonders.

Sasuke smirked and still shaking the annoying thing, he slowly laid it between them, their dark eyes following slowly. When it was between them, Saku did not roll over to grab and throw the damn thing. And Suzuki didn't try to roll even though it would be impossible. Because the two had just found out that another human lay beside them. Sasuke gushed and lifted the Camcorder.

"Holy crap. You have a brother! And you have a sister!"

Saku stared at the child with eyes like his own. Suzuki was doing the same. And Sasuke knows that with or without this Camcorder, he'll never forget what comes next. He's going to remember how instantly, in the same moment of the same universe, Saku and Suzuki smiled big at one another, their gums all around and shiny. As if they knew that they were connected in some way. And Sasuke can't do anything, but murmur an "aww." Because fuck, why are kids so cute and innocent and how could he ever make kids so innocent.

He often wondered if he was a good parent to them. Moments when Saku would cry at night as a child and Sasuke would be grumpy. Or days when Saku was grumpy and Sasuke had to scold him more than once. When Saku was being pushy for something and Sasuke wouldn't give it to him and he cried more than usual. Smoking…. _Fucking smoking_ with his baby in him. Saku could have died. Suzuki could have died. And what was he doing during both those pregnancies? Stressing over himself. Over Naruto. Over Neji. He remembers handing off Saku many nights to Oji because he was young and stupid and impatient. He remembers ignoring his son on some nights until he just couldn't anymore. And now what was he doing? Sasuke was heading to prison voluntarily the same month his premature child was released from Neonatal care. God. Sometimes, he just wished he could have done better.

"Stop it." Naruto's voice called in the room and Sasuke turned away from the two smiling children to find the blond giving him a look, standing in the doorway with a scold that he'd seen before. "Whatever you're trying to believe, stop." He came into the room fully and stood behind Sasuke, wrapping his arms around his husband's waist. He said nothing for a while, just watched the kids who wouldn't stop smiling at each other. Saku had rolled skillfully toward his sister and had put his tiny chubby hand on her forehead.

"To everyone you know, you're the greatest mother they've seen. To me, Karin, and Nagato you're so much like Betsy that it hurts. To Shik, who was raised by a single father, nothing compares to you. Sha was raised by her grandmother in Nigeria, and she was more of a foster guardian than a mother. You're the reason Sha's willing to try having a kid again. And no one can convince B that you're not the best mother anyone can have. Every time the subject comes up, he'll go on for hours about how great you are with them. And after being with Beatrice for years and having such a negative connotation, that's something. Because of your motherhood, B was willing to go back to Nigeria and give his own a second chance. So shut up. You're fucking perfect."

Sasuke smiled softly and turned the camera off. With Naruto, the world would move on. No matter what happened, the man would always bring Sasuke back to the place he belonged. He couldn't dream of being in a world without him and he often wondered how he got through life before he met his soulmate. There are vague memories of hating who he was once, but then Naruto comes in and everything is so much better. So much better. Naruto makes him remember that Saku likes to get Sasuke's attention by crying obnoxiously or doing something mischievous. He knows that his first word was indeed mommy. And he remembers that Saku will cry because Sasuke yelled at him and then reach up for the same man to pick him up and hold him close to his chest, whimpering mommy over and over like a mantra to keep him safe. And he knows that he's going to be wonderful with Suzuki. He's going to cherish her and make sure she's never alone in the world.

Soon, they'll leave to Nagasaki tonight and Sasuke will commit the crime. And then he's going to go to prison for a few months and kill Azrail. But when he returns, everything will be the same. Suzuki is probably going to be whining or squirming trying to find a place in the world. Oji is going to be hiding meds that he needs to take in order to survive and then he'll get scolded by Naruto, Naruto of all people, Naruto who doesn't care about the lives of others, about how important it is to be alive. Saku will be watching One Piece and then whining about his mother. And Naruto will be the same too. The married couple is going to bicker a little because it's become a traditional game to bicker. And Sasuke is going to like the way Naruto stares when he knows the Uchiha is being a complete smartass. Like he can't decide on bitter or amused.

"You ready to go?" Naruto whispers in his ear.

"I'll follow you anywhere," Sasuke whispers back and it's true. He's going to follow Naruto to hell if he has to.

* * *

 _Hyuga Household_

 _Nagasaki, Japan_

 _Nagasaki Prefecture_

 _September 1, 2005_

Naruto's car is brighter than he actually recalls. The inside of the luxury vehicle was stained in expensive beige leather, but tonight it looked more orange. "Stop staring at my car like that." He hears Naruto grumble, but the demand is softer than his intoxicating voice that makes Sasuke want to lay down beneath him and go wild. Really soft. And he can't tell if it's because Naruto isn't a normal user of marijuana or if it's just his own ears drawing everything out like honey pouring from a spoon.

He turns to look at his husband, which is a bad idea because Naruto's eye are so bloodshot and the man is leaning back in his seat exhausted like they just got done having sex. He giggles hyperactively and the sudden sound makes Naruto laugh too. "Why do I even listen to you? I don't even like weed."

He hasn't smoked as much as Sasuke since his high is going down. But it's still enough to get the job done. Naruto's way of relaxing is sex. Sasuke's is smoking. And because the blond cherishes the car too much, he chooses Sasuke's way. A beautiful car and a beautiful man like Sasuke just won't mix. Omo laughs a little with a sudden thought that Sasuke and the car would be jealous of one another.

Sasuke ignores him and lays his head on the door. "I have to go in and see Neji."

"Just calm down a little. You're going to offend him if you go in high."

"How do I get it to go down?" Sasuke groans. Naruto watches the man's legs shake together, causing friction in his jeans. "Jesus fuck, I don't know if I'm pregnant again or just horny." He breathes heavy and it comes out more like a moan and Naruto blinks astonished at the nature of his husband. If this is Sasuke at his highest, He doesn't mind smoking weed with his husband every night. "Jesus fuck. Ngh. _Naruto._ I love you."

Naruto chuckles and reaches into the cupholder to hand Sasuke a water. "Here, drink this." He offers goofily. And then sombers when he realizes exactly what Sasuke just said. Even when his brain is under the influence, Sasuke managed to point out how much he loved Naruto. "I love you too," He mumbles, his cheeks red. Fuck that, Ōmo doesn't blush.

Sasuke grabs hold of the water and takes about five sips, each a second apart, before saying "this is fucking disgusting."

Naruto raises a brow and asks out loud. "What does water taste like?"

It grows quiet. The two look at one other before they burst out laughing. "Neji's going to call the police on us," Sasuke says between laughs. "Why didn't we smoke after we left here?"

"Because," Naruto laughs. "We don't want the police to charge you extra for being under the influence of an illegal drug."

They laugh until the laughs turn into soft chuckles. Naruto leans over and kisses Sasuke on the mouth when it grows quiet. Sasuke laughs, but it's more aware now. Not only because the high is fading, but because anything that Naruto does makes him aware. "What was that for?"

And he curls into himself when Naruto just sends a dashing smile his way. Not even a smirk, but his teeth are showing a little and Sasuke knows the blond can smile bigger than that. And still, it's enough. "Just because."

"Oh….You love me." He says as if he can't believe they met in 2002 and Naruto's been loving him since then. Like he's just realizing that.

"Hell yeah," Naruto whispers without hesitation and he doesn't care if he's being all lovey-dovey. This man is his and he can be whatever the fuck he wants with him.

The high blows down in the next thirty minutes and Sasuke skillfully sprays some blunt effect around the car and on himself. He drinks water and gives the rest to Naruto. "I know you're absolutely parched."

"How is it that your British accent is so horrible that I love it?"

Sasuke opens the door and steps out with a smirk. "I'm perfect remember? I'll be right back, okay?" With a nod from the blond, Sasuke closes the car door and struts up to Neji's front door. He remembers that this house is actually in Naruto's name since he bought it. But after Saku, Sasuke had moved to Tokyo and Naruto just left the house to Neji.

He inhales slowly and knocks. Neji would be up. He always is. Even when he's done with school, he'll be up and about doing something. It takes a moment, but Neji opens the door very confused. He stares surprised. "Sasuke? Is that really you?"

Sasuke smiles cautiously. "Can I come in? I want to talk."

Neji doesn't say a thing for a moment. He only stares at Sasuke with a soft disbelief as if he can't believe he's here. And then something so unexpected happens. Neji drops to the floor. He doesn't fate. A fainting man doesn't land on his knees or bow thereafter.

"I'm sorry!" Neji sobs. And it takes a moment for Sasuke to realize that Neji is bowing in forgiveness. "I don't deserve to be your friend. I was rushing you, Sasuke. I wanted you to worry about me and not your family. I'm so sorry. If it wasn't for me, Naruto wouldn't have been hurt in that bombing. Sasuke, please forgive me. I understand now. I don't want to lose you, but I don't want to hurt you either."

The sentiment is sweet to Sasuke. He helps Neji off the ground and gives Naruto a small smile before they disappear into the house.

Naruto spends his time cleaning the few sparkles of weed here and there within his car. _Fucking pussy,_ he thinks of Neji. Never in his fucking life would he bow to another man. Sasuke is a sap for guys like that because he's got a soft heart like Mikoto, Itachi, and Reo. The sap for men like Naruto, no doubt, Reo says, comes from Fugaku. And that's a man that Naruto would respect like his own father. When he's wiping the dashboard where Sasuke was rolling up, he tenses slightly as a thought passes through his head.

They never contacted Neji after the explosion. Sasuke didn't even call like he said he would, opting instead to see the man for himself. They never told Neji about the suicide bomber in the mall. That's the thought that makes him tense up.

No one ever told Neji about the bombing.

And the thought passes and fades as fast and as abrupt as it had come. Just like Reo's thoughts earlier last month. And it's something both men would regret for a long time in the future. Something they'd regret so fucking much.

* * *

 _Nagasaki Arcade_

 _Nagasaki, Japan_

 _September 1, 2005_

 _10:15 PM_

"You scared?" Naruto asked the man sitting on the hood of his car.

"Hell no," Sasuke muttered, staring up at the arcade that he loved a lot. "Why would I be afraid to go in and bust up that snow machine."

Naruto sneered. "I told you. If you break my fucking snow machine, I'm going to break your ass."

Sasuke looked toward the very dark sky and then around the area. The Namikaze arcade was nearly out of town, with no other stores nearby. They were completely in the dark besides the faint glare of the sign that lit up all night. But other than that, Sasuke felt secure in the dark. So innocently, he spread his legs on the hood of the car. "You're all talk, Namikaze."

Naruto stared at him before repeating his motions. First looking at the dark sky, then the area, and finally the lights. Sasuke was sporting some sandals, pants and a kimono. And the blond couldn't resist. Unfastening the top button of his vest, he smirked. "You know I gotta put you in your place sometimes."

Sasuke wanted it to be slow, but hot rather than sensual. There was no way he was going in without having Naruto love on him. Sliding down from the hood of the car, Sasuke slid down to his knees when Naruto got close.

He looked up at the blond and licked his lips lasciviously. And Naruto's knuckles were white as he grabbed the edge of the hood, holding his breath. Sasuke unzipped his pants, reached into his boxer briefs and wrapped his hand around the tan cock. Despite seeing it for years now, he still studied it for a few moments, noting its thickness and slight leftward bend.

"Do I pass inspection?" Naruto smirked.

"I'm gonna have to test it first, I'm afraid," Sasuke whispers as he licked the underside of his cock from balls to crown. And Naruto _gasped_. Naruto never really gasped. It wasn't his thing.

"Well, feel free to take it for a test drive," he managed to get out.

Leaning forward, Sasuke extends his tongue and licks the very tip of the tan cock with the point of his tongue, wiggling it around the tiny hole at the end. Then Sasuke moves down, using the flat part of his tongue to lap up the length of Naruto's thick shaft. In his mouth, Sasuke can feel Naruto's cock growing as he slides his tongue over the blond's sensitive skin.

He moves up again and closes his lips around Naruto's cockhead, sucking delicately. He swirls his tongue in circles, feeling Naruto's hands moving up to run through his dark hair, gently urging him forward. And Sasuke complies. He leans closer, sucking eagerly as more of Naruto's cock slides into his hot, wet mouth. His tongue flicks back and forth, moving down the underside of his husband's cock until he feels the end hit the back of his throat. Naruto thrusts his hips forward, his cock ramming against the back of my throat, making Sasuke moan, his drool dripping down Naruto's whole shaft – now fully erect.

Naruto holds Sasuke's head steady with his hands and begins thrusting. Sasuke sucks desperately, his cheeks hollowed as his tongue dances over the skin. Each time Naruto pushes forward, the head of his cock jabs the back of Sasuke's throat. And he inhales sharper than ever.

Moving faster, pumping harder, Naruto fucks, the ever-increasing suction from Sasuke's wet lips and mouth building pressure within Ōmo. Sasuke massages his man's swelling balls, feeling their heavyweight.

Naruto groans softly, "What a nasty man you are … you love sucking me off, don't you, babe?" With previous lovers, Sasuke would stop there. Flick off an asshole and leave him to jack off. But Naruto says the same things. But his eyes are filled with so much adoration that it makes Sasuke wonder if he's just putting on a show. Sasuke moans tremulously, sending tiny vibrations down the length of Naruto's dick.

Suddenly pulling out of his mouth, and helping him abruptly to his feet, Naruto bends his lover over the car hood, pushing him forward, my chest flattened against the metal. Leaning against the hood, Sasuke just pushes his ass back at Naruto, his legs parted invitingly. And for a moment, Naruto does nothing but stand there dumbly.

"Naruto," Sasuke whispers.

The blond snaps back into place and pulls down Sasuke's pants. He examines his husband for a moment before coming forward. He rubs his engorged cockhead slowly up and down the length of the slit of Sasuke's cheeks. Sasuke pushes his hips back towards him, small gasps escaping from his mouth in rapid succession, his ass aching in anticipation. Naruto pushes forward a tiny bit, just barely inside.

Without moving into Sasuke, Naruto leans over the pale man enough so that he's rested against Sasuke's back, his lips on the man's neck. "I wanna hear you say it, love." He moves his hips just barely, his cock teasing Sasuke unbearably. The raven tries to push back, wanting – needing – more of his cock. But Naruto's compensates, pulling back fractionally, his throbbing cockhead still nudging right at the entrance to his lover's red-hot, pulsing hole. And his hands rest on Sasuke's hips, not letting him try to capture him again.

"Ōmo. Please fuck me, Ōmo."

Hearing those inciting words, Naruto slams his hips forward, driving his huge cock into Sasuke's steamy, tight ass, pulling his hips back forcefully to meet Naruto's. A cry is wrenched from Sasuke's throat, my greedy ass gripping Naruto's immense shaft snugly like a second skin.

And the blond exhales on Sasuke's neck and grates out between clenched teeth, "Is this what you wanted, beautiful?"

Sasuke moans, a lascivious "Yeess … " hissing from him. Naruto starts to pump in and out, his ass folds clinging to Naruto.

His hips move back to meet Naruto's every plunge as the blond pounds him. His cock hits against the prostate on each inward push, making it sore. Sasuke's upper body is pressed down against the smooth, hot metal of the car, his fingers splayed on the hood. Naruto fucks him faster and harder, his cock hammering in and out mercilessly, making Sasuke gasp for air.

Naruto moans as the fingertips of his right hand slide under Sasuke's body, grazing down his post pregnant stomach, brushing against his smooth skin, traveling down to my sopping wet dick. He starts to pleasure Sasuke even more.

Craving Naruto's searing cum inside him, Sasuke convulses, clenching and unclenching quickly, cumming into Naruto's hands.

Sasuke growls, his needy ass tightening around his husband's rigid shaft, pulling his cum from the bursting balls. With his cock exploding deep inside, shooting his hot cream inside, Sasuke cries out in climactic ecstasy. He writhes uncontrollably as Naruto continues to piston in and out of him, pumping white-hot spurts of cum.

The waves of his orgasm start to slow as Sasuke clenches his muscles, pulling the last drops of cum from his throbbing cock. When Naruto is soft again, he pulls out of Sasuke but continues to rest against his back. "You're so perfect," he murmurs and Sasuke believes him.

Naruto takes the time to wipe them both down with a towel from the trunk. And then he lifts Sasuke onto the hood fully and they sit there and watch the stars until Sasuke feels like breaking into the arcade.

"Hey, Naruto?"

"Hm."

"We'll be okay, right?"

Sasuke is already laying on Naruto's arm so the blond only flexes the joint to kiss his forehead when the Uchiha gets close enough. "Always."

* * *

Naruto has the keys to the arcade, but Sasuke has fun breaking into the first-floor window next to Cosmic Chasm. Once he's in, Naruto heads out away from the arcade so that he can call the police on an anonymous protected line. Apparently, someone's breaking into the children arcade down the road.

Sasuke laughed softly and walked around the arcade, looking for games Naruto often said the children who came in hated. The games they didn't play. With the bat that Naruto gave him, the man eyed one of the unwanted games. It was a classic knockoff of Pacman and Sasuke sneered psychotically at it. "You're first."

And then he pointed to an old racing game that had yet to upgrade to multiplayer. "You're next, bitch."

It was fun. Breaking the things that no one really wanted. He smashed the toys with vigor and happiness, laughing all throughout the ordeal. He wasn't crazy. Naruto liked to call him crazy. No. That wasn't right. Everyone called him crazy. B and his hubby the most. Sometimes when Minato comes over to watch Saku, Sasuke will say or do something that reminds Minato of himself when he was younger. He'll tell Sasuke he's a psycho, but he looks with pride, like he misses when Naruto was a scrawny outsider screaming about how he was going to rule the world one day.

When Neji tells him he's crazy, it's when Sasuke tells him about a guy he needed to take care of. Or the fight he almost lost a limb over. Or when he jokes about talking to the bodies Naruto keeps. Neji says it in disbelief, and sometimes Sasuke doesn't know if it's alright to be crazy.

Because Neji is a dick and Sha has her own shit to deal with, Sasuke likes to think that Bolade Mohammed is his best friend. But he doesn't admit it out loud to Neji or Sha or even Bolade. But that's because B already knows. B knows a lot more about him than Neji and Sha, and Sasuke knows the fears that B is afraid to tell even Naruto about. And Sasuke knows he gave this one time. Neji was the only kid that would talk to a kid related to a _Hibakusha._ He befriended Sha so quickly because she was, still is, lovely.

But Sasuke had time to learn and observe with B. And when he found that the two had so much in common, they began to hang out a lot after Shikamaru was hurt. And Sasuke had accepted him. There's never a dull moment between them and they grew to care for one another. It's not odd for Sasuke to do crazy shit. B will only smile and say "you're fucking crazy." And he'll keep smiling because he's waiting for Sasuke to say smugly "You know God's way. Us sociopaths gotta stick together."

The man made it to the kitchen and sighed. The snow cone machine. Sitting shiny in all it's glory on the countertop. He scowled at the machine and grabbed hold of the filler connected to his chipped tooth.

"I've been waiting for this since 2002." He tells the machine. And he can't stand to look at it. Because all it does is remind him of Naruto.

Naruto loves it. He loves Sasuke's crazy side. He loves the praise he gets. And he likes when Sasuke tells everyone that his man's been in and out of jail.

When Sasuke does something so exotic to his rich boy nature, Naruto does nothing but kiss him, tell him he's perfect, murmur the word psycho like he's finally caught sight of a rare diamond.

Sasuke sighs heavily, constricted.

* * *

 _Nagasaki Arcade_

 _Nagasaki, Japan_

 _Nagasaki Prefecture_

 _2002_

" _There. Does it feel better?" The man questioned, moving away as Sasuke smiled. The raven didn't want to say anything, really. There was still pain and the tooth was still fucked up, but he wanted to leave this place. He wanted to run off with Naruto and be alone with him because he was bored._

 _So he smiled and nodded. And he was off._

 _As they walked to the car, Sasuke put a hand to his mouth and smiled, his eyes closed. "Naruto?" The man stopped by the car door and looked at him, curious._

 _Sasuke giggled, trying to compose himself because really, this couldn't be happening to him of all people. "Naruto...he was so drunk...he fixed the wrong tooth."_

 _And the laughter could not be held. Naruto and Sasuke looked at one and they burst out laughing._

 _Naruto was doubled over, clutching his stomach. His laughter had bubbled up in him like a feather. And when it broke free into the night, it was loud and throating. It was so boisterous and unnecessary, but to Sasuke, he was so handsome. And for a moment, Naruto Namikaze had shown Sasuke and the searing lights of the dentistry that he was more than a cartel leader._

 _Sasuke himself was doubled over. To Naruto, he laughed delicately, like the flow of a river on a sunny day, with no wind or breeze to conquer it. And his smile. Kami, his smile. It was beautiful, even more pretty than he._

 _Naruto shook his head, him being the first to calm down. "I've got to get you home. This has been the most eventful night ever."_

 _Sasuke nodded because he agreed. He had only eaten bread, split his tooth on a snow cone, and was out at 1 AM with an undeniably dangerous man._

 _Without doubt, this was the worst date he had ever had._

 _And still, somehow, it became his favorite._

 _ **NSNS**_

 _Sasuke felt anxious as Naruto walked him to his dorm door. "Even though it ended oddly, I had a good time tonight, Naruto." He muttered. Naruto smiled._

" _Thank you, Sasuke. I'm really sorry about the snow cone. And your tooth. And I'll pay in full your bills when you get it fixed by a sober person. No arguments."_

 _They stopped before the door and both got really quiet._

" _Next time…" Naruto began, his voice hinting._

 _Sasuke smiled. "How do you know there will even be a next time?"_

 _Naruto leaned closer, hovering over him. "I've already told you that I have to make up for the food, and now the tooth."_

 _Sasuke giggled quietly. Gently, he moved in. Naruto inhaled and Sasuke realized that the blond never let out a breath. So he kissed him gently even if his tooth still did hurt. And when he kissed him, the world fell apart and ceased to exist. It was just them, floating on the edges of the universe. The kiss was slow and soft, comforting in a way that words could not be._

 _Sasuke smiled when he moved back. "Thank you." He whispered._

* * *

Sasuke shook his head with a soft smile. He had chipped his tooth, and the drunk dentist had fixed the wrong tooth. But Sasuke liked Naruto so much then that he still managed to kiss him. The man sighed and pointed accusingly at the machine. "You're lucky….for now."

And just as the machine's life had been saved, red and blue lights flared through the windows. And a long-wailing scream pierces the stillness of night. It's the sirens and the policeman. Naruto did his job.

Chouji would press charges.

Bolade would pay the prison.

Shikamaru would hack the system and place Sasuke Namikaze in a holding cell with Azrail Yamanaka.

And Sasuke had the easy job. All he has to do is kill Azrail.

* * *

 _Fuchū Prison_

 _Fuchū, Tokyo, Japan_

 _Tokyo Metropolis_

 _September 14, 2005_

The prison guard watched Sasuke rub the tips of his fingers together several times before finally meeting the eyes of the infamous man. Sasuke can tell that the man is really nervous to even make eye contact with him. And he really can't tell if it's because he's so fucking gorgeous or because he's here to brutally murder someone. He doesn't know. Probably never will. But the nervous part. That makes two of them. The Uchiha's hands go to his pockets for the fifteenth time during their walk. He wants to make sure the knife is still there. When he rubs the tips of his fingers together and bites his lip, the guard looks at him once again. This time, they make eye contact. And Sasuke can't help himself. He really can't. It's the way he is.

He raises his hands in the air as if to surrender between the five guards transporting him. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry," he let out, but his tone is borderline sarcastic and psychotic. "I'm just so nervous." The guards catch one another's eyes. "I mean.," Sasuke smirked at the guard that managed to meet his eyes. "What if Azrail doesn't like me? I hear in here your cellmate is like your best friend." And he can barely keep a straight face as he laughs. The guard blushes and Sasuke shakes his head. So he can't make eye contact because Sasuke is so hot, not because he's evil.

He turns back to smirk at the man following them only to receive a middle finger and an eye roll.

"We're here," one of the guards mutter in a hushed whisper.

Sasuke eyes him. "Don't you punk out on me. This knife is only sharp enough for one person. If it gets dull, you die slower. That shit is painful. I would know." And he laughs again.

The man nods sharply and opens his mouth the yell "Yamanaka! New cellmate!"

Sasuke twirls the knife in his hand as the bars open painfully slow. _For Lee,_ he tells himself. For Lee, who did not know he would die so soon. Before he comes in, he can see Azrail smirk. Azrail, who does not know he will die so soon. Sasuke smirks as he walks in.

Azrail's eyes widen slightly when a more devilish grin mocks his own. And he stares at Sasuke in disbelief until his disgusting Yamanaka eyes trail down his body. To the knife. _Wait, Sasuke. Wait until he stands. You want him to tremble, don't you?_ Sasuke nods and Azrail stands as if he were asking permission that the raven gave.

"What's going on?" he asks, And Sasuke nods in professional approval when the guards turn away. It's better that way. No one wants to see it.

Azrail is actually the size of Sasuke. He's not like Naruto, which the man anticipated. Azrail would never be like Naruto. And since he's so much smaller, it's easier for Sasuke to rush him and jab the knife in his stomach. He bites his lips hard enough to bruise when Lee's killer is knocked against the wall. And he twists the knife only once in his abdomen. He counted each time he took the knife out and smashed it back in around the same area. Twenty. Twenty stab wounds on Azrail. For the twenty years of life Lee had.

The Yamanaka collapsed, but Sasuke held him up. Sasuke smiled at him and then leaned in close. Never would anyone be greater than them. Never would an enemy triumph over them. No matter how rough it got, they won. He put his lips on Azrail's ear. "For the Namikaze," he whispered.

Azrail dropped onto the floor when Sasuke moved back. He put a thumb into his mouth and wiped his teeth. "Aww, gross. His blood got on my teeth." Sighing, he slumped on Azrail's bed and rested his arms behind head. And then he peeked at the prison guards that were still staring at him. "What? You let me." He defended himself. And then he looked around the room. There was a lot of blood in here. He smiled sheepishly. "Oh. You're worried about the blood?"

Standing, the raven pulled Azrail's cover off his bed and covered the man's body. He smiled softly. "There. All clean." And then he slumped back on the bed. "Alright. One day in prison down. Forty more to go."

Lee was sitting in the corner and although he was dead, Sasuke could imagine him trying to dodge every ounce of Azrail's blood. 'Thank god,' he would have said. 'It took you so long to kill him. But you killed him. So that's good.'

There was still shuffling outside and the raven peeked an eye open to see his new cellmate shuffling in. Naruto Namikaze looked over the room with a grimace and Sasuke had to contain himself. That orange looked good on him. The blond sighed. "You could have at least let me get a jab at him."

"Well, you should have been walking faster."

Naruto looked down at his own cuffs and then he glared at the guards that were watching them still. "Why the fuck am I in cuffs and he's not?" And they flinch back. Not needing to say a word because there's the answer.

Sasuke laughs. "Oh, Ruto. Do you really think they're going to let someone as pretty as I bruise my wrists and let Ōmo free?"

Naruto sneers because Sasuke is right. "Fuck you."

* * *

By dinner in Fuchū prison, Azrail's body was taken to the morgue and Naruto had their entire cell sterilized and disinfected. They got a few looks when dinner came around because Naruto had requested better silverware and food. Sasuke, on the other hand, was fine with what he got. And although his husband had offered the metal fork and the fresh cooked salmon to him, the raven declined, settling on the prison food and the spork they were given. He liked to believe that he was actually in the prison. Naruto, on the other hand, liked the luxury life he lived in regardless of where he was. For him, nothing worth having came easy.

He ate carefully, very aware of the looks he was getting. Beside him at the table, one of the foreign prisoners turned to him. "Ain't you dead?"

Sasuke tensed up. It was one thing for him to kill someone, but Sasuke wasn't his husband. When Sasuke killed someone, he had made jokes to lighten the mood. When Naruto killed someone, it was precise, professional and all the more disturbing. He watched Naruto's chewing get slower and slower in his mouth until he was chewing air and his teeth snapped against one another on occasion.

Sasuke sighed. Why did the man have to even speak to him? Did he know who Naruto was?

"You deaf or something? I asked ain't you dead. Azrail killed you didn't he?"

Sasuke's mouth opened in disbelief. What level of stupidity…..

Naruto licked his lips, staring down at his plate of food. Never once did his eyes waver to the western man. But he did put down his fork for a moment. And then he removed his clothing protector and put it over his food. "Do you know me? I want you to think twice about what you're saying and doing in front of my husband."

The man sneered. "You're that guy the Angel of Death was supposed to kill. Fuck you. He was supposed to help me out of here."

Naruto began to tremor. It was all in his face. His face reddened and his head shook from side to side as he gripped the fork in his hand. Sasuke frowned. _Oh god,_ he thought.

Abruptly, Naruto lifted the fork his in the air. Sasuke winced. However, when he brought the fork back down it didn't stick the man in the head. Instead, Naruto had driven the fork's handle into the other's tray right in front of him. When he let go, the fork was standing upright, it's metal glaring at everyone there. Naruto twisted enough so that he firmly grasped the back of the other's head, his brown hair held tightly in his hands. And then he slammed it in the tray. Sasuke winced when he watched the fork go into the man's head, precisely between his brow bones.

Naruto lifted the dead man's head from the tray and then slammed it back down again. And again. And again. And no one said or did anything. When he was done, when there was blood everywhere, he finally dropped his head on the tray. Sighing, the blond lifted his clothing protector from his own food and used it to cover the face of the dead man beside him. And then he picked up a new fork and began to eat.

"What good is there being king when no one knows? That's the problem we're going to have in here until we leave, Sas. Because Azrail made these people believe he was stronger than us. He was here saying that he was killing people. But I really fucking do it. You see, I wanna enjoy myself as much as possible. I want peace in here. And the purpose of war…..is peace."

Naruto lifted a finger and one of the guards rushed over. "Have the morgue clean out Azrail's body, but I want him brought back here."

By the next week, Naruto had gotten the entire facility shook. There in the dining hall, on display, was the body of Azrail Yamanaka, nearly mummified besides his face. Naruto had him nailed up above the tray line. It was a crucifixion on Naruto's part. The blond wasn't a religious man, but he made sure Azrail didn't die for a cause. The tattoo of the Namikaze symbol engraved on his forehead told everyone. Sasuke shuddered in sheer excitement every time he saw it. Because Naruto was such a monster that it beguiled him.

Despite Naruto's threats, many brave men still tried to defile them. And true to form, when the pen failed...the blond was ready with the sword.

* * *

 _Fuchū Prison_

 _Fuchū, Tokyo, Japan_

 _Tokyo Metropolis_

 _October 10, 2005_

It's Naruto's birthday when they have two more weeks before they're released. For a man that can die at any given moment, Naruto cherishes his birthdate because it's astounding that he made it here. So each year on October 10 he makes a toast.

To Linda for falling in love with Maso. And Betsy for giving Maso the will to live on and raise his triplets. He thanks Minato for loving prostitutes and a woman named Kushina for walking out on him. Then he thanks Shikamaru and B for saving his life when the going got rough. And Sasuke, Saku, and Suzuki for giving him a chance. And after he thanks all the people who tried and failed to kill him, he damns them to hell with his good friend Lucifer.

Right now, Sasuke was laying atop his husband in the cot of the bottom bunk and the two were speaking. Sometimes they spoke about nothing. Sometimes they spoke about everything. Sasuke just liked being close to him. Rubbing circles on his arms and chest and listening to Naruto's rocky heartbeat, like heavy tides crashing against rocks.

It's also Naruto's 22nd Birthday when they leave the prison early. Because of an error. Because of a mistake on Naruto's end. They're talking about getting out when Sasuke expresses that he's glad it's over. That everyone played their part well. And when he says that, Naruto grows this funny look on his face.

"Speaking of that, Sas...I've been meaning to tell you….B never paid the prison. I mean, he never got around to it." Sasuke wants his husband to elaborate because he doesn't understand. Because how the fuck did this all happen without B paying the prison? "I couldn't get a hold of him. Sha tried. Shikamaru tried. Sha knows more about Nigeria than we do. But when she looked at the records of all the tourists in the country, B wasn't on the list. He hadn't been for weeks."

The silence in so unbearable that Sasuke doesn't to breathe. How rude it would be of him to interrupt the quiet and bring the noise of his own existence.

Sensing his obvious discomfort, Naruto sits up, bringing his husband with him. "I think he came back….here I mean. And I think he didn't want to tell us because he was afraid of what we'd think."

Sasuke's mouth was open and his forehead and brows were crinkled. He shook his head. "I don't understand. Have you spoken to him? How do you know that for sure?"

"I don't. I'm hoping."

The void is what scares him. The void that comes next. It's inside him, squirming around like a parasite. And Sasuke wonders if God had waited until Sasuke knew all for something terrible to happen. He can't know what it is. And he isn't sure that it's happening to Bolade. He just knows that something terrible is happening. Because that void, that never-ending dark void consumes everything, so he's left feeling nothing. Empty. Naruto shakes his shoulder. "Sasuke? Sasuke, why are you crying?"

It's happened before. First with feeling Betsy's soul and then with dreaming of Rock Lee. He's a spiritual person. It'll always happen. Sasuke turns to his husband, who now feels miles away from the raven because when Sasuke's likes this, no one can get through to him. It's hard for Sasuke to distinguish what's real and what isn't when these things occur. "Oh, Naruto. Something terrible just happened." Nothing. Nothing was okay.

Sasuke feels something in his gut that's been gnawing at him since the topic of Bolade arised from the shadows. Naruto shakes his head in confusion. He can't put out words to ask or say because it's just them in this room. How would Sasuke know that something terrible has happened?

"We have to-we have to go Naruto." He hisses it between lips that have gone dry. It's distress in his tongue and the fear is seeping out through his teeth. Naruto can see that Sasuke has a hard time forming the words, but he manages to get them out nonetheless because he's desperate and afraid. "We have to. We can't...can't stay here. Not in here when he's….we gotta go!"

Naruto grabs his husband face in both hands and he stares at him for a long moment. "Breathe, Sasuke. Take a deep breath." Sasuke inhales sharply and even though it's not what he wanted, Naruto is satisfied that he's breathing again. "Tell me why we have to go, baby. Really slow."

And Sasuke lets out a high sob. His hand comes up to clutch the arm of the hand on his face. He holds tight enough that his pale knuckles grow cyanotic and Naruto's growing a bruise. Tight, as if he's falling down while sitting. "Oh, Naruto. B. B is _dying."_

* * *

 _Sapporo city_

 _Hokkaido Island_

 _Japan_

 _October 10, 2005_

"You're nothing," He hisses to the man before him. "You don't deserve to live. You've _never_ deserved to live!"

There's nothing behind the scream, just pain. The mirror doesn't fight him back. He doesn't tell him he's worth it and B screams, his fist shattering the glass into pieces. Why didn't he tell him? Why didn't he fight back? The man lets out a heavy sob and nearly topples to the floor where the ground feels stable.

He's hungry. He's been hungry for days now. But he doesn't want to eat. He doesn't at all. He wants to die faster.

He was in pain. Endless pain. Sometimes, he woke up and realized he was dead. Buried and forgotten by everyone that ever hated him. The man growled at his own thoughts and opened the smashed cabinet.

 _Lexapro._ Antidepressants. Warning signs of blurred vision, seeing halos around lights, racing thoughts, unusual risk-taking behavior, feelings of extreme happiness or sadness; headache, confusion, slurred speech, severe weakness, vomiting, loss of coordination, feeling unsteady, high fever, sweating, confusion, fast or uneven heartbeats, tremors, and feeling like you might pass out. And worse, hallucinations.

B stared menacingly at the pill bottle before yanking it toward him. The man poured a glass of water and slumped onto the bathroom floor, not caring that some of the water spilled over him. He stared at the pill bottle before nonchalantly pouring some into his hand. Seven. Not enough. Ten. enough. It was strange. How hollow he felt. How empty.

B dumped the Lexapro tablets into his mouth before using the water to help swallow them. Throwing the glass cup and watching it shatter, the man pulled his knees up to his chest. And now, he would wait for the emptiness of death.

He sighed and rested his head against the wall. Nothing happened for the first five minutes. And then his head began to hurt. B grabbed hold of his temple as a harsh tremor coursed through his veins. He inhaled and clenched his teeth together. If dying felt like this, it was okay. This was the least amount of pain he'd ever felt. He sighed when he slumped a little, shifting because no longer could he hold himself against the wall. Dying felt so much better than living.

"What are you doing?"

The man opened his eyes to the sound of Sasuke's voice. He glared. "Saaaaasuke." It was hard. So hard to say words. "What aarre yooouuuuu….."

Sasuke crouched down on the floor, his eyes full of concern. "I know, B. I know you hurt."

B shook his head and looked away. "Geeet out, Sasuke," he hummed and laid his head down. He was so sleepy. So tired.

"I see you. I do. I see pain in those eyes."

"Ssssss," he hissed out. Putting his hand on the ground for support, Bolade tried lifting himself up. If Sasuke wouldn't leave, he'd fight him and make him leave. "Get the fuck out, Sasuke."

"No." The raven shook his head sadly. "I'm not leaving. You're not dying here."

"Get out!" Bolade screamed. Couldn't he see he didn't want him there? "I don't want you here. You can't make me!"

"I'm going to bring you home, B. Just hold on a little bit longer. It's not your time to die."

"I don't want you here!" B stood up fully, but when Sasuke stood too, he toppled back over, his forehead now on the floor. The man shook slightly and gagged up air.

"You're not going-"

B looked up harshly and the illusion of Sasuke stumbled back a little. "Get out!" He screamed again. "I don't want you here! Didn't you hear me?"

Out of complete silence, the cry arose. Out of complete reverence, the things of the world stilled to listen. Like a budding flower it started. Slow and gentle but it rose to a wail that tore at his own heart; tens of thousands of voices crying out together in total sorrow. To the ends of the world, the cry traveled. Over lands and seas, through forests and valleys. Every ear in the universe stilled to listen, every heart broke, so heavy so miserable was Bolade's song.

When it hit Sasuke's ears as he lay in Fuchu prison, the Uchiha had fallen. He felt a weight of sorrow press him down. And his mind clouded with pain, his heart grew cold and numb with pent-up emotion. He felt clogged with pain, hurt, and fear. All he could do was join B in his cry.

And far away in different places, the friends screamed.

"B is _dying!"_

"Didn't you hear me? I just want to _die_!"

* * *

 **Japanese Words Used Here:**

Sore wa watashi no yobidashidesu means "That's my call."

Anata wa warui yume o mimashita ka? means "did you have a bad dream?"

Kare wa sore o itta translates to "he said that."

 **The title of this chapter is Scrabble. Scrabble is a term used for smokable crack cocaine and it describes the how powdered cocaine can be cooked into rocks of different sizes, shapes, and colors. Hence the word Scrabble. In many cases, people enjoy powdered cocaine a lot more than they do crack cocaine. In Omo's case, as this is a continuation from the last chapter, the cartel is better together than it is derived. When the cartel is scratched apart, bad things happen. From the last chapter, everyone was scattered across our map. Sha was isolated in her hotel, Shikamaru with Hidan in Tokyo, Naruto and Sasuke were in Nagoya, and B was in Nigeria. All of them were nearly assassinated. In this chapter, we dig our way through everyone's pains and fears. Sasuke fearing for B's life, Shikamaru confessions and worrying about Naruto, Reo almost getting killed, Suspicion of Neji rising in both my readers and Naruto. And finally, Scrabble can also mean to scratch out in order to find something. Well, B went to Nigeria to try and forgive his mother, and this happened. Attempted overdose. Keep the fact that he saw Sasuke in his head in mind *Snicker*.**

 **Also, can we just talk about how odd Sasuke is? I think I've brought it up before. He's so in touch with his spiritual side that he can almost feel a life on the other side. It's weird, but it'll definitely be elaborated. I just love his worrying side. I love writing it.**

 **Other than that, I'm sorry again for being so late. I can't wait to finish this class so that I don't have to be at the nursing home for most of the day. And thanks for sticking with me here. It means more than enough.**

 **Next Chapter: We finally get to see the life of Bolade Mohammed.**


	22. Casper

**Casper**

 **Thank you for staying with me here. :) I love every one of you for reviewing and I want to reply to all of them, but I can't right now. I'm just going to start this chapter. But please know that your reviews are very much appreciated and they're the very backbone of this story.**

 **I split this and next chapter up. The first half is about B's father's life and the next is about his all the way to the point where he tried to kill himself.**

 **And just a forewarning. This chapter is all about the life of B's father and what made him send B to Nigeria to live with his mother. This IS NOT a filler chapter. You can't just skip it and go on to the next chapter, because this is** _ **so**_ **important to the plot. And I'm not sure how you're going to take this. Because writing this chapter was so hard for me. Because the things here, that his parents go through are things that people have been through and are going through. Things that people will go through. I think I stopped writing about 15 times to compose myself because how the hell can I come up with ideas that hurt this much?**

 **I drafted B as this misunderstood character, but now you all get to see how beautifully broken he is. We're all in this together. So we're reading and writing these things because we want to understand the lives of other people. All kinds of people. So just….just get ready. And I just want to tell all my readers, if you're going through something, don't be afraid to speak. People will listen.**

 **Warnings...FOR THIS AND NEXT CHAPTER: Racist and other derogatory terms, Racist politics, Rape/molestation, poverty, lack of educational development, degradation, mental abuse, emotional abuse, physical abuse, prison, pain, death, mental illness, childlike mentalities, B is so beautiful, I swear.**

* * *

" _This book is dedicated to my nephew, Saku, who, by the grace of Allah, has taught me the gift of love and joy through the eyes of a child._

 _This book is also dedicated to my friend,_

 _Sasuke Uchiha._

 _To you, for your courage and for putting your life on the line that fateful day, April 12, 2009._

 _You saved my life._

 _And to Beatrice Mohammed._

 _I wish you happiness_

 _I wish you peace_

 _May God bless you._

 _-Bolade "Killer B" Mohammed_

* * *

 _Admission Step Show_

 _Howard University_

 _Washington, D.C._

 _United States of America_

 _August 15, 1970_

The American dream is a nightmare. And that's because America is not just a country, but an idea; a thought; a suggestion to a possible course of action. The American dream is the idea that every US citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative. The only problem is, It's called the American Dream because you have to be asleep to believe it.

Halle sighed with a soft smirk, one that made his small overbite stick out. He liked the speech. And he was sure he would do fine. That didn't stop the tingles going through him as he thought about going up there on that stage. In front of all these students he didn't know.

The 17-year-old looked up toward the front of Cramton Auditorium where the stage had been getting filled with some of the prettiest girls he'd ever seen. Those girls were the Alpha Kappa Alpha's, the first African American Sorority in America. The AKA's of Howard had an infamous reputation before Halle had even been admitted; they were known as the pretty girls around campus, and more on the feminine and expensive side, given their colors of pink and green and the pearls. They were also known to be on the lighter shade of African American women.

Halle stared intensely at the sorors stepping onto the stage. They were in concert formation, like a choir. But one of them stood out as she came up to the front microphone. One look at her told Halle that the reputation AKA had gained was entirely made up of false rumors and envy. Yes, the woman was pretty, and yes, she looked….expensive so to speak, but she wasn't light-skinned. In fact, she was darker than him, given his honey complexion. He swallowed his own spit and looked away from the woman shyly as she scanned the crowd of freshman.

What did he care about a sorority singing about how wonderful their organization was? What were they doing for the Black Community in America that he wasn't doing? It wasn't as if he'd actually be admitted into the organizat-

" _An AKA"_ Halle's neck cracked when his head shot back up toward the front where the solo soror had begun singing. Mellifluous: Adjective: Very Informal; meaning pleasant to listen to; synonym of melodic. It was the first word he could think of to describe the tune. Her voice was deeper than most, giving her a feminine baritone edge to the tune she just spoke. It looked liked she wasn't even trying to sing, the way she stood against the crowd smugly. And that had intrigued Halle all the more. The women in the background had repeated those words in a softer tune, an 'all together now' instrument. And then she sang it again. " _An AKA."_ And they repeated it again. And with her choir, the woman sang.

" _And I finally became an AKA._

 _Twenty pearls_

 _Twenty pearls_

 _Represent_

 _The Alpha girls."_

Halle cleared his throat, eyeing the people around him the crowd. Had they seen him staring beguiled with his mouth open?

"Ah did. Ain't you got no manners?"

Johnny had come from Detroit with him to attend Howard and both teens had grown up knowing the other for most of their lives. But Johnny was different from him. Where Halle was raised to be humble, Johnny was raised by his parents, who often exaggerated his potential. So Johnny got a pat on the back for acting any way he chose growing up in Detroit. And such a thing was injudicious; adjective; meaning showing very poor judgment; synonym of unwise or foolish. What good was there telling an African American boy he could be anything in this world when the world showed him different?

Halle shook his head. "I'm beguiled, that's all."

"Be-whut."

"Charmed."

"Man." Johnny smacked his lips, exasperated by his friend's use of formal words. "We came to dis school so we ain't got tuh be like dem no more. Why you gotta carry that dictionary 'round like is posed to mean something?" And then he smirked as if telling Halle to get ready to hear something funny. "Whut you think you Malcolm X or something?"

Halle grit the inside of his teeth, biting his cheek and shaking his head in disapproval. "That's what they want us to do. They want us to attend these HBCU's and forget about the real world. Not me. I'm gonna be the smartest brotha in Detroit if I have to be. Me reading the dictionary has nothing to do with Malcolm X. Is it wrong for a Black man to want to learn? To become astute?" Verb; Having or showing an ability to assess situations; synonym to smart.

Another arm on his left side bumped into his. "You ain't got tuh listen to this cat, Halle. He won't know nothin bout the real world till it spit in his face. He a airhead."

Johnny huffed and leaned forward to get a better look at James, another kid who had grown up with them. "Ah ain't sayin nothin wrong with bein smart. Ah'm just sayin can we enjoy the show? We got here, ain't we? Let's enjoy the bunnies up front."

Halle shifted uncomfortably and unconsciously held his speech paper closer to him. "I was," he stated almost defiantly.

James smirked beside him. "Ain't dat the truth."

"I didn't it mean it like that. I just thought the singing was intriguing."

"Shh" someone in the crowd hissed, quieting the three teens as they stared up toward the front. The Alpha Kappa Alpha girls were still on stage and they seemed to be preparing a new song.

" _Don't you know why"_ She started off in tune. And then she smiled as the choir behind joined in.

" _I wanted it to be an AKA_

 _An Alpha Kappa Alpha, uh-huh_

 _I wanted to be an AKA_

 _And here's the reason why_

 _Of all the towns around_

 _I searched_

 _No better group I found_

 _So I joined them right away_

 _And this I have say."_

Johnny shook his head as if he couldn't believe it. "Dayum, she fine," he murmured.

" _We have trie-_

 _We have trie-_

 _We have tried!_

 _Now we made it AKA_

 _An Alpha Kappa Alpha, uh-huh_

 _An Alpha Kappa Alpha_

 _My pillow, it felt like lead_

 _My bed, it felt like stone_

 _I tossed and turned all night_

 _Because I wanted to belong_

 _The road was hard and long_

 _AKA kept me strong_

 _Regardless of tears of pain_

 _I'd do it all over again."_

Halle smiled softly. Had it not been made for this sorority, the lyrics could be tweezed and trimmed for the African Americans. To see his people struggle and triumph over four hundred plus years of hate, pain, and isolation often made Halle wonder. How were people so strong? How did they cope? Maybe AKA wasn't such a smug organization. And then it was ruined. The moment. Gone forever by the next song. The sorors had become more active, stepping their feet on stage and clapping to their own beat.

" _When I_

 _When I_

 _When IIIIII_

 _When I first saw the lady in the pink and green_

 _She asked me 'what do you want to be'_

 _Well,_

 _I said I wanna be an AKA_

 _Cause Alpha Kappa Alpha is the only way_

 _I didn't see the Delta flicker_

 _I saw the light_

 _Cause in my heart I knew my choice was right_

 _Well,_

 _Step, step, soul stepping sorors_

 _Step, step, sorors on the way_

 _Step, step, soul stepping sorors_

 _We're the soul stepping sorors of AKA"_

The lead singer came forward in a sliding motion, and Halle vaguely wondered when this had become Soul Train. She stared toward their end of the crowd. And Johnny punched his arm softly to get his attention. "She starin at you, brotha."

"I know," Halle muttered dismissively.

" _Well,_

 _I didn't wanna be no Delta_

 _I didn't want SGRho_

 _I didn't want be no ZphiB_

 _Cause I didn't wanna step that low!"_

Halle sneered softly. "Oh, dream on!" He said out loud. If this sorority really had the nerve to form rivalries with their own people, when the obvious enemy was the man, they could go straight to the depths of hell. What were they doing for the Black community that he wasn't doing? Not a damn thing. As it was becoming the action of the night, Johnny nudged. "What?"

"Whut the hell wrong wit chu now, huh?"

"This sorority is creating rivalries. What we need to do is come together. That's what the man wants from us. To divide and conquer. If you pin black men against black women, light against dark, rich against poor, they won't focus on the real monster."

Johnny eyed him for a long time before turning away and muttering "startin tuh think you'se a faggot."

Faggot; Noun; North American; informal; a male homosexual. Halle looked down, his mouth turning down an inch at every thought. It was vile to even think about that word. How could they themselves discriminate against people who enjoyed companies of the same sex? Those people were what they used be. So why not empathize with them instead of forming different groups of different background. Those people, the faggots, were them, the niggers. So why discriminate against that group when you know the discrimination and hate?

"You know where dat word come from? 'Cause it shouldn't be used." James had leaned up again to stare at Johnny. The man in question shrugged and Halle snorted. What kind of guys were they to be hanging around each other?

Johnny Smith was a spaz. A kid growing up in Detroit learning nothing, but how to be snippey. A big-headed asshole who had his head so far up his ass, that when he talked, all that came out was shit. His parents taught him that he was better than a lot of the other Black kids on the block, but even when he acted like the rest of them, he was still given a pat on the back for just being him. So all of his mistakes resulted in a 'good job, Johnny'. He was born and bred to be better than the rest of them, but on the inside, Johnny was a nobody. He was insecure and uncertain of himself. Timorous; Adjective; Showing or suffering from nervousness, fear, or a lack of confidence; synonym of uncertain. That was Johnny. And Johnny compensated this uncertainty by hanging out with guys like James Miller and Halle.

James was a pothead. A mellow kid that hardly showed up to class, so when Halle found out that his former high school friend would be attending, he kept his eyes in his skull. When James wasn't high on dope and giggling every five seconds, he was a smart kid. One of the main reasons he and Halle got on so well. He was a revolutionary like Halle. An 'If-voting-changed-anything-they'd-make-it-illegal' kind of guy. And James was so open to other people that it scared Halle sometimes. Halle grew up in a different kind of household. A household which whispered the truths about America. Whereas James grew up in a 'love is love is love' kind of household. A household where problems didn't exist. James Miller would smoke a blunt with anyone. Even a closeted racist.

"Where do it come from?" Johnny asked curiously.

James shook his head in response. "Exactly. So stop bein a fuckin spaz."

Halle sighed as the two men began to bicker quietly and looked back up. That girl. She was still staring at him as she sang her last note. Or what he hoped to be her last note. There was something about her that threw him off. Like they weren't supposed to see one another on this day. Maybe at all. He couldn't get his mind off it.

"Yo, Halle, what you think?"

He blinked three times. "Hm?"

"Get ya mind out duh gutter, man. I said is Johnny-boy right-"

"Don't call me dat-"

"He ain't a spaz?"

Halle smiled softly, looking back down at his forgotten friend; the speech that lay so tenderly in his lap. "Oh yeah, he's a spaz alright."

Johnny smacked his lips and grumbled thereafter. "Man, fuck both of ya'll."

The sounds of clapping silenced the three as they looked up. The AKA girls were leaving the stage in a sense that made Halle snort for a short time. Again, when had this become soul train?

The last remaining person on stage was the undergraduate recruiter, who was also filling the position of Howard's admission ceremony.

"Thank you to our lovely Sorority president, Beatrice Mohammed, and the girls of Alpha Kappa Alpha." _Beatrice, huh?_ What an odd name for someone with the last name Mohammed. Was her last name an alias? Was she a member of his party?

Halle shook his head. Of course, she wouldn't be a member of his party. Not if she were in an organization which so blatantly clashed with their own.

The undergraduate recruiter smiled at the crowd. "It's such a wonderful thing to see so many colored students furthering their education. Especially at a school made for people like us. The opening ceremony is usually for current students to show freshman how we run the school daily. But it's always encouraged for new students to make a name for themselves amongst peers. With that said, I would like to welcome Halle Friedman to the stage."

Johnny snorted and bumped shoulders with his friend once again. "You up, white boy."

"Shut up," Halle grumbled, but there was a smile on his face that couldn't be simmered down. He always loved sharing his ideas with people. It was like he was saving people from growing deeper into a system of injustice and pain. And he wanted to save them. He wanted them to be happy.

The teen stood up and the auditorium grew silent. Halle stared around with a soft look, and he was only broken out of his stupor when James nudged him. "Get on with the show, pretty boy." With that said, the black teen clutched the ends of his paper as if they would keep him from flying away, and moved to the front of the auditorium.

The podium was a lot taller than him and Halle cleared his throat to make it less awkward as he adjusted it. He could almost see the smirks of his friends boring into his forehead. His brows wrinkled. He could do this.

And so clearing his throat for a final time, Halle Friedman made his debut in Howard University. "The Constitution of the United States reflects the founding fathers thinking that this was to be a nation by white people and for white people. Blacks, Native Americans, and all other non-white people were to be the burden bearers for the real citizens of this nation."

He let those words sink in. And he watched a few heads shoot up in interest. "My name is Halle Friedman. I am a member of the Black Panther Party, and a student from Detroit, Michigan. I would like to first start off my speech by informing you of what my party represents and what we would like from this country as the Black nation."

In the back of the crowd, he could see Johnny enclose his lips with both hands and a faint "Yeah! Tell em, Hall-y!" followed thereafter. Halle shook his head in embarrassment. The absolute nerve…..

"The Black Panther Party of Self-Defense is a revolutionary party. We've never advocated violence; violence is inflicted upon us. But we do believe in self-defense for ourselves and for black people. We believe-"

And Halle does stop abruptly. The words are on the tip of his tongue. He can feel them. And he knows them without looking down at his paper. _We believe we are the link between the domestic Black Liberation Struggle and global opponents of American imperialism._

But he couldn't get them out. Not with her staring at him like that. Weird name girl; Airhead; Beatrice. She stood in the back corner of the auditorium with her girls, staring at him impassively.

Stolid; Adjective; having or expressing little or no sensibility; synonym to emotionless.

And there's a feeling again. He was intrigued. If there was a feeling so vague and sinister since they caught eyes, it was the fascination. She was a pretty girl, with eyes and skin like chocolate. And her voice was as smooth as silk. Enticing even. But there was a feeling in him even stronger than that. He doesn't like that they've caught the eyes of one another. Because Halle knew it wasn't meant to be. Whatever this was, this meeting, it shouldn't have happened, but it did. There's something wrong with her. There's something in her that makes him uncomfortable.

It felt like an eternity standing there, shifting and hoping her dark gaze would go somewhere else, victimize someone else. But it wasn't. It was only a moment. A pause after the word 'believe,' a clear of the throat, and Halle continued his speech. He didn't look in that corner for the rest of the night.

Acophobia - fear of ugliness; the fear of darkness; the fear of Beatrice.

* * *

 _Howard University_

 _August 31, 1970_

Halle didn't see her again until two months had passed and he had settled into the calming campus of Howard University. Well….until he settled into his apartment with James, Johnny, and Keisha.

Halle's top lip reached his nose as he grimaced at the girl across the table. His eyes squinted to put off an aura of danger, he sneered as big as he could.

The girl looked up from her bowl of oatmeal and froze. They stared like that for a while. Brown orbs on brown orbs….sneer to sneer. She grimaced and crossed her arms childishly. Halle didn't back down. But then….

Her hands went up as if she were getting ready to pounce and grab the hold of her prey. Her mouth opened and her teeth stuck out in the front because she had sucked her thumb too much as a kid. And she growled.

Halle grabbed hold of his stomach and laughed loudly, the sound echoing off the bare apartment walls. The girl laughed too, her young face soft and smothered in delight.

When there was no more left, Halle picked back up his spoon and smiled big at her. "Eat your food, Keish."

Keisha hummed and picked up her spoon, sticking hot cereal between chiming teeth. "theday at shool, the teether made us falk about my-bro-orbanisms."

Adorable; Adjective; very attractive or delightful; charming; synonym to endearing. _Yeah,_ he thought. That's the word for it.

"Chew and swallow before you talk. You sound like the undead," Halle scolded, but he couldn't keep from shaking his head with a soft smile. "But microorganisms? Really?"

Keisha was an eccentric kid; one that kept her older brother on his toes. Since their parents died when Halle was only 16, he had been caring for her. Keisha liked getting into trouble. _No._ That wasn't it. Keisha liked _being_ trouble. At just 10 years old, the girl was giving Halle a run for his money. She often made a hassle in school and stayed up at ungodly hours just to torture her brother's ear off. But she was... _God,_ she was so perfect. She was this drop of sunlight the sun just couldn't hold. Keisha was a defiance to her own existence. But she made the world a better place. She was better than the world.

"Bah. And ve got to vuse a-"

"Keish," he warned. And she shook her head in her own amusement before nodding.

"We got tuh use a microscope." And then she groaned and dramatically set her torso on the table as if her school problems were so hard. "But, it's so stupid. Ah don't know how tuh use it."

"That's why you pay attention." It reminded Halle. He had been late home, so he didn't see if… "Did you go to tutoring today?"

It grew silent at the table. Keisha stared at him as she greedily at her food, but said not a word. His eyes twitched. "Would you stop eating and talk?" Still nothing. Just her silly impassive face where he didn't know what she was thinking and she was just stupidly adorable. _Idiot,_ he tched.

"Keisha!"

The ten-year-old sighed loudly. "Ah didn't want to!" She whined.

Halle sighed. Money wasn't a fascinating aspect the two often bragged about. Especially not in a Black household. Before the accident, they didn't have much. And after, it ain't get better. Halle was concentrating on school and two jobs. Keisha's tutoring, his classes, hospital bills for her, rent. It was hard. He was lucky enough to have had enough to move Keisha down to DC with him. He was lucky enough to have friends like Johnny and James to split the rent with him. Everything was based off luck.

Lucky; adjective; having, bringing, or resulting from good luck; synonym to fortunate. That's what they were. Nothing more.

"Keisha, do you know how much I spend for? So you can get to college?"

Keisha fiddled with her spoon, not making eye contact. "Who says ah'm even gone make it tuh college?" She muttered, barely audible over her sulking.

His dark eyes instinctively travel to the hat that sat atop her head. Even when she was at home, Keisha hated showing her head. She wasn't used to being the way she was. Not yet. And it scared Halle to think that one day if _it_ happened, she never would. "Don't say that." And it was the only thing he could mumble. There's a chance. Chronic Leukemia wasn't just a deadly disease, it was a lifestyle. There's a chance that she won't live long, but it's something he doesn't like thinking about. Not because it hurts him, but it doesn't scare him anymore.

"Forget Ah said somethin'," she muttered.

" _Something,"_ he corrected. And Halle was happy when she smiled mischievously up at him. Keisha wasn't a sulking girl. And even though she often said she wouldn't live long, it never bothered her for long. She was like that. She'd always been.

"That's what Ah said."

They sat in a comfortable silence for a long time before Keisha sighed in exasperation. "Ah guess it won't hurt tuh go tuh tutoring." _That's the spirit,_ he thought. He didn't need to say anything. His proud smile said it all and his younger sister sighed and slumped in her chair.

Before she could tease him and call him a big sap, James walked into the kitchen. "Whut cha'll doin in here?" He asked.

Keisha looked up, a sly grin on her brown face. "Halle was just tellin me if Ah go to tutorin', he's gonna get me all the ice cream Ah want."

"I'm not bargaining with you. You said tutoring won't hurt, and we'll leave it at that."

Keisha grumbled as she began eating again and James snorted into his hand. "Ay yo, check this out. There's a rally goin on tomorrow. Some of the fellas in class is thinking about marching. You down?"

Marching won't do anything. Halle's learned that from his father and he's learned it from the movement. But, he's willing to do anything. Anything to make the world a better place. So he nods. "I'm down."

The ten-year-old at the table, the outlier, the one too good for the world, looked up. "Me too."

Halle stared at her with fire in his eyes and his sister actually shrunk back. She can see the anger in his eyes. Some days, it's always like that. Halle was a man that saw the world every day. And not just for what it meant, but for what it was. Some days, she would see him sit there and stare into space. Other days, when someone was lynched and justice wasn't served, he would yell and scream about how something was wrong with the world. How something was horrible in the world.

"You're not down for anything."

"How come Ah can't march either? We ain't fighting."

"It's 'we're not fighting. And I've told you one too many times. It's not a game."

"But we just marchi-"

Halle sighed. "Keish," he interrupted. "Anything you do as a Black person is wrong. It's dangerous. Walking to the store is dangerous. Looking at a white person is dangerous. There's no safety anywhere, no matter how much they tell you it is. Nothing's changed since slavery. Marching is dangerous. You can't march for justice without hoping you won't be sprayed, mauled, hung, burned down, or shot. It's not a game. It's life. And until you're older, I won't let you participate."

The girl sighed but nodded. Halle leaned across the table to rub her cheek, making her smile. "When Ah get older, Ah'm going to change the whole world."

Halle nodded and blinked. It hurt. It hurt so bad. The feeling in his stomach was a flame rolling around, trying to stay alight. It hurt to be in the pain. To see people struggle. To tell his sister that her very existence was a burden to her country.

Suffering; Noun; the state of undergoing pain, distress, or hardship; synonym to pain.

"I bet you will. I _know_ you will." And they seem to have forgotten that James is there, watching the siblings have their moment. Halle is staring at his younger sister in pride and Keisha, little Keisha, who sees the world in sunshine, is determined. They're siblings, alright.

They sit for a while, James explaining the march and it's meaning and the hope that it will change something. Keisha's been eating with her left hand, so when her right arm reaches the table, he notices it. The bruise on her arm is nasty; brutal; purple. It's a blotchy stain, like she spilled purple dye on her dark skin and it managed to seep in and make her blue veins prominent on a meaty part of the skin. "Whut happen?" James asked before he could get to it.

Keisha looked down at her arm and shrugged. "Ah hit it on the dresser this morning. It don't hurt though. Ah don't know why it look like this though."

James hummed in confusion and Keisha went back to eating. She's got a silly soft smile on her face and Halle knows it's because she's thinking about something funny she did.

"You good, H?"

It's James question that snaps Halle out of his stupor and he realizes that he's stood up and stared at his sister's arm for a long time. _No. no. no._ "Yeah. I'm gonna go to the pharmacy and get her some iron pills."

"Why do Ah gotta eat iron? Metal is hard and it's gonna break my teeth."

Halle can't laugh. It hurts too much. He grabs his jacket and slips it on. It's raining outside, but he can't afford an umbrella right now, so the hood will do. "Stop complaining. I'll be back alright. Could you start her on her homework?"

But he's gone before either of them say anything. It's windy outside and rainy. The water is cool against his face as he walks down the apartment steps. _Stage three,_ he thought.

Keisha was diagnosed with Chronic Leukemia last year and she's already on stage three. Halle tries not to think about. But he thinks the rain hides his tears.

* * *

 _Foer's Pharmacy_

 _818 18th St_

 _NW, Washington, DC_

 _August 31, 1970_

When he does see her again, it's after Halle leaves the pharmacy. The pill bottle is clutched firmly in his grasp; he didn't think he'd find it, really. Not in a pharmacy in the evening. It was a small bottle and when Halle spotted it at the end of an aisle, it screamed to him 'I know your sister's dying. I do. So here I am.' And it wished for Halle to hold it dear with him, clutch it against his bleeding heart while they both hoped Keisha's dying process would go smoother.

When Halle does see her again, he's rushing out of the pharmacy and the stormy winds are blowing wide. The rain is cold as it splashes against his face. It was dusk. The sun was going down, but he had left his things scattered on the floor. So the moon would have to come clean that up.

And Halle isn't paying attention. His thoughts are on his idiot little sister and trying to put his hood on. Soon, Allah forbid, soon, he will have to bury her. It makes him nauseous and sick to his stomach. Stage III leukemia is no laughing matter. And Keisha doesn't want help. She wants to deny she has it. She wants to hide her head and go to school and miss out on hospital dates. If he ever buries his sister, it won't be because of the sick. It will be sudden.

Someone clashes into him hard. Papers are thrown everywhere, scattered in the wind and mud. And it's not long before Halle is dodging soft punches and screams. The first punch puts him on high alert. He fought a lot of White boys in the street to know that once they throw the punch, he will defend himself. But the screams follow like a shadow and Halle's only thought is 'this isn't a man.'

"Look what you did to my papa's, stupid! That was due tomo'wow!"

Halle winces at the screams but manages to dodge the punches. He moves back enough to see her in the light of the pharmacy. She's angry, but he can't help that even in the rain, she looks beautiful.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Stop hitting me so I can apologize!"

It's that girl. Weird name girl. Beatrice. She's glaring hard at him. Halle won't be 18 until December so he notices. She's got Jean overalls on and a white long sleeve undershirt. He notices. When she's pacing around, waiting for the chance to deck him in the teeth, he notices her firm buttocks, like she had oranges in her back pockets. And her curly hair is braided down to her waist. And in the cold rain, her large breasts are trying to bore holes in her shirt. And Halle can't help but save with the mind what he had lost with the eye. And Johnny's stupid words go through his head. She, Beatrice, _is_ fine, and she's an African girl.

"So'wy won't elp! It's not going to bwing my papa' bagk! Didn't yoa' pawents teach you to pay attention?" The more she yells, the more she notices. This is the boy she'd been watching. And Halle knows that too. Because the fight is dying down in her and now she's just scolding.

Halle can't see what's wonderful about him to even notice. His afro is small and his glasses on his nose are crooked. And he's light.

"Why a' you stawing at me?" She hissed.

Halle can't control himself when he says it. It's an accident truly. It has to be because the darkness inside her is bigger than the beauty outside. So he can't control himself when he says "I'm sorry. You're just really pretty."

And that single moment of their lives is dangerous. What scares him isn't the rain or the simple fact that his sister could be hurt. What scares him is that Beatrice takes it to the heart.

* * *

Back at the apartment, Halle is euphoric.

Euphoria; adjective; An extreme, unrealistic feeling of physical and emotional well-being, feeling "high; synonym to happy.

And he can't tell why. Apparently, Johnny, who's made it home, can't either.

"Whut chu smilin' at?"

Keisha and James are interested now too. Halle, who knows too much about the world, never really smiles unless Keisha makes him laugh or James supports him or Johnny is being a real spaz.

He bets he must look like a real doofus. Coming in from the harsh Fall rain and smiling like the world just changed; all wet and bothered. But he can't help himself.

"I don't know," he mumbles. He removes his coat and goes over to the sink, pouring a glass of cool water and handing it to his younger sister. The little girl is now finishing homework, slyly asking Johnny for answers when Halle isn't watching. He hands her some iron pills and she takes them without argument. Because Halle is still smiling.

Johnny sits up on the couch, now interested. "Halle," he warns.

Halle laughs softly. "You know that girl right? The AKA girl?" Johnny takes a moment to think and then his mouth opens in disbelief. Halle nods as if he knows what he's thinking. "Yeah. I ran into her." He pulls out a small sheet of paper. "I don't know how I did it, but I got her number. Turns out, she's not actually a bad person. She's from the motherland too."

And for the rest of the night, Johnny complains about how lucky Halle Friedman really is. In the years to come, Halle is always going to think about just how wrong his friend was.

* * *

 _Howard University_

 _October 19, 1970_

She's anger itself. For a month he's known her now, and Halle can see it in her. It's in the way she stares into space as if there's something there. Not physically. Not spiritually. But as if there's an obstacle getting in the way of who she could be. Who she should be. And Beatrice stares as if she can't do anything but hate this obstacle.

And there are days when Halle sees nothing but fire in her. It's not fiery passion, as if Beatrice is so devoted to something that could change the world. It's the devil's fire; so hot, it stings. It's anger devoted to nothing but hate.

Outrage; Noun; an extremely strong reaction of anger, shock, or indignation; synonym to anger.

Halle thinks about that all the time. He's even thinking about it now as Keisha combs through his afro-

"Ouch!"

Halle grabbed hold of his head, where a particular comb through stung the scalp. He lets Keisha do these things. He lets her comb his hair like mama used to and sometimes he lets her cook breakfast for them. It's something she misses, the things that used to be done for her. And God knows that Keisha is going through harsh times, and Halle wanted to make things as good as they could get.

"Boy, Ah hardly touched ya head." And with doing the things that mama did, Keisha does them 110%. So that meant Halle dealt with 90 pounds of sass and mama in a 10-year-old body.

Halle winces. "You hurt my head."

Suddenly, the comb disappeared from his fro and Keisha stood up, coughing a little. "Well, ain't no use in complainin'. We done now."

"We're done now," Halle corrected, standing and stretching. The teen rubbed his sore butt with a grimace. God, he hated sitting for hours just so Keisha could comb through his coarse locks. But at the end of each session, regardless of pain, he silently prayed for many more years that she could.

"That's what Ah said."

And he couldn't help himself when he leaned over to throw his arm across her shoulders. And he squeezed because sometimes love was just that strong. Sometimes a hug didn't need an explanation.

"You big ole sap," she muttered.

"Yeah yeah. Whatever."

Keisha looked like she was thinking for a long time before her lips pursed. "How's that girl?"

"What girl?" He knew who she was talking about. Halle never talked about Beatrice to anyone. She wasn't his girlfriend even though they had kissed a few times. And sometimes there was nothing good to tell about Beatrice. Given, she was beautiful, brainy, and built, but she could also be a pain. Beatrice was nasty to her friends and sometimes on her bad days, even to him. She was a lot to deal with, but Halle always came back. He didn't know what it was, but he always came back to her. She was intriguing.

Beguile; Verb; to influence or charm by trickery, flattery, etc.; mislead; delude; synonym to bewitch. That's what she had done. Because there was no other way someone like Halle would be so into someone like her. It just hap-

"Halle? You alright? How is she?"

Halle smiled and squeezed his sister's shoulder. "She's alright. But I'm your older brother. I have to worry about you. Not you worry for me. Alright, idiot?"

Keisha smacked her teeth together but nodded nonetheless. The girl ducked her head low to get out of her brother's grasp and she scurried far before he could grab hold of her shirt and mess with her. "Ain't you gotta go somewhere?"

" _Don't_ you have you go somewhere. But yeah, I'm heading over to Beatrice's dorm so we can study. I'm not leaving until James gets out of class though so he can watch you."

The 10-year-old huffed. "That's what Ah said."

* * *

 _October 19, 1970_

 _211 Elm St NW, Washington, DC 20001,_ He thought. _Dorm number 504._ It was Beatrice's floor and room number. The walk to her place was fairly quick, only two blocks from his; four if he needed time to think about the decisions he often made around her.

With a soft grunt, Halle blocked the path of his brain that made him think and continued along the street without a care. When he was alone, Halle didn't have to think. Alone time was based solely on the purpose of making Halle feel calm. When with other people and worrying about what needed to be done, Halle often noticed that the leaves would change color in fall; they would fall off and die only to make anew in spring. The ocean had become this vast field of tides; water rocking against the shores and breaking away the Earth every moment. And the trees grew older; and the nights got colder; and sometimes, what went through his head, but not often, was the sheer fact that people died. _Everyday. They. Died._ Disease. Murder. Illness. Depression. Accidents. People die.

They do. And that's all Halle can think about when he's with other people. He thinks about the things that are wrong with the world and he looks at people and wonders when they will pass on from this life.

But then, when he was alone, he thought about the good things. The leaves always came back. Like Malcolm passing on his message to the Panthers, they came back, as green as the true sea. The ocean was them. _Inside them._ Rocking against their core organs and keeping them alive. The trees would _live for thousands of years._ The nights would turn to dawn. And sometimes, when Halle catches himself smiling to the point when his teeth get dry from the wind, it's because he's thinking about living.

People go through the toughest things and still manage to live a long life. People live every day. And that was something wonderful.

Halle was too caught up in his thoughts that he didn't even notice himself passing a few white students from neighboring colleges. His head must have been held too high. He must have looked too happy. One of them bumped his shoulder harshly.

In the North, there weren't many racist folks, but there were a few. And those few were the reason the Black Panther Party had units in the North.

When the student bumped his shoulder, Halle hadn't really moved back much. It didn't hurt nor did it make him stumble. It was the principle that mattered. If Halle did his best to ignore someone, he expected them to give the see treatment.

He didn't like confrontation. Not in the slightest. Having been raised to be a peaceful person and wanting to show his little sister that there was more to life than suffering, Halle never confronted anyone if he didn't need to. If they got him, he'd hit back. If they said something, he'd say something back, given how well his day was going. If they shot, he'd shoot back. It was all about retaliation. Not confrontation.

White boy one, the boy who had bumped into him, had snickered as he and his friends walked by. It was a childish laugh- a giggle; a girls-have-cooties chortle. "Blind nigger," he mumbled after.

Halle froze in his steps, his hands coming out of his pockets. That word. _That_ word. His top lip upturned in disgust.

Nigger; noun; offensive; a contemptuous term for a black or dark-skinned person; synonym to darkie.

Halle didn't like confrontation. But he wasn't raised by no suckas either. He turned and balled his fist, glaring holes into White Boy one's head. "Watch your mouth, you fucking honkey."

Hate does not drive out hate. Now as the students tensed and turned to stare at him in disbelief, anger, and surprise, Halle was understanding that. And he repeated to himself. Hate does not drive out hate. But he knew one thing. Love doesn't either. There was no way, he was going to confront these fucking cats without gaining some form of trouble.

Whether he said this or "please don't say that word," this disbelief would still happen.

White boy one, who started to look really uncertain of himself, stepped forward. And Halle saw. White boy one was the racist. His friends wouldn't back him up. "The hell did you just say to me?"

"You aren't deaf, right? I'm sure you heard me." Halle put his hands back in his pockets, gaining some more confidence in his ability. "Would you like me to repeat myself?"

White Boy one stepped forward. Slowly and uncertain, but still forward. "I'd watch my-"

"Tongue?" Halle offered. "It's not 1920 anymore. You're not going to threaten me and expect me to whimper. If you threaten me, I'm going to do the same."

"I never threatened you."

"I said 'if'."

White Boy one continued to stare, no more disbelief in his eyes, only hate. He stared at Halle like he wanted to kill him right then and there. Only problem was the timing. The year was 1970 and if you wanted to Lynch someone, you needed probable cause now.

Halle wasn't scared. This kid was a fucking nobody. A follower or he was just trying to look cool in front of his friends. He didn't look like one of those beefy guys that always fought others. He looked like Halle. If a white man wanted to lynch Halle, that was his problem. Now….if he had the _power_ to lynch Halle, that was _Halle's_ problem. Stokley had taught him that.

White boy sized him up and down before smirking and humming. "Hm. Whatever, kid." And then he turned. "Let's get the fuck outta here."

Halle watched them descend down the road before the evening sky camouflaged their backs. His lips pierced forward. Things like that had never really happened to him. And thus, Halle didn't expect to react the way he did. But he knew it wasn't a good day idea. What if they were all like that? What if they wanted to hurt him? He didn't know, but he couldn't get the thrumming of his heart to steady. He couldn't reassure the organ that everything was alright.

Turning, the man stuffed his hands in his pockets and continued on his way to Beatrice's dorm.

He got there quickly, the adrenaline making him speed up. When he knocked, the pretty girl opened almost immediately, her dark cheeks unusually lighter than her face. Tinted rose even.

"You'we neawly 20 minutes late. This neva' appened befo'." Surprisingly, there was no bite behind the statement and Halle felt guilty for narrowing his eyes in disbelief. What was going on with her today? Why was Beatrice so quiet? So timid?

"I ran into a few guys on the way." They stood there for a moment awkwardly before Halle put his best foot forward. "May I?"

Beatrice moved aside, letting Halle walk in. Immediately, he was hit with the familiar scent of cinnamon. The familiar scent that was her. Beatrice's dorm was a complete opposite to her personality. Where she was anger, the dorm was calm. Where she was danger, the room was peace. It had the aura of tranquility.

Her books were set out on her bed already, giving off the impression that she had started without him. A year older than Halle, Beatrice had been taking her work seriously. Her mother, who reminded Halle of Johnny's mother, was strict, often checking on her grades and whereabouts from Nigeria.

"You studying without me?" He asked.

"Yeah, so'wy," she mumbled. Halle didn't understand what made her so shy, but he liked it. It was new, but it wasn't the usual.

"It's okay, B. I know how important studies are to you." The teen removed his coat and draped it over her desk chair, noticing the drop in her demeanor when that was said.

"You mean, you know ow impo'tant my studies a' to my motha'," she mumbled.

"How," with difficulty, "how is she?'

Beatrice sighed and slumped down on her bed. When she sighed, there was a heavy relief there as if she had been waiting all day to rant about the strict woman that ran her life. It was decorated through her lungs and Halle felt the tension easing away. "She's still motha', if that's what you mean."

Halle winced. He knew. Beatrice hadn't told him much but the teen knew abusive when it wasn't said subtly. Maybe Beatrice was afraid to talk about it, but Halle didn't mind. Maybe Beatrice was anger because of her mother.

Tradition; noun; the transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to generation, or the fact of being passed on in this way; synonym to lore.

Traditions are supposed to be happy and loving. Not Beatrice's. Growing up with her siblings and her single mother, her's were more brutal. It was tradition that if you forgot to take your shoes off before entering the house you got no hot water for a week, not for showers, baths or even coffee. It was tradition that if you left a sweater on the couch instead of putting it away you did everyone else's laundry for them. It was a tradition that if you raised your voice, for any reason, you got beaten with a rod.

And first chance she got, Beatrice ran. All the way to America where really it didn't get any better. Somehow, the mentality that her mother was still there was something recurring. Her mother was inside her.

The woman sighed and patted the seat beside her on the bed. "Let's get stawted. ow often do you study?"

Halle smiled, trying to lighten the mood. "All I do is study. It's a lifestyle for me." Some of it was true. Studying, Beatrice, and Keisha were the three big things that took up Halle's time. In spite of her anger, Halle would be lying if he ever admitted to not showing some kind of affection toward the other student. When he wasn't studying and writing speeches for his party, he was either talking to Beatrice, thinking about her, kissing her, or he was taking Keisha to her appointments, helping her study, or just keeping her happy and alive.

Beatrice smiled, a sight that proved just why it was rare. It was beautiful really. Her eyes would crinkle closed all the way and her mouth would be spread so wide, showing her perfect teeth; the ones that her mother had monitored. And Halle couldn't help but smile as he sat next to her. Wasn't it that people with the biggest smiles went through the most pain? Maybe he was biased. Because Keisha and Beatrice smiled so wide despite what happened to them.

"You do study a lot. You don't do anything else, do you?"

They both laughed softly. "Well, there are only three things I've been concentrating on in the last few months." He eyed her before speaking. "That's my studies, lover, and my baby."

And he didn't mind when Beatrice smiled and asked "Baby? Are you talking about your sister?" And there's so much admiration in her eyes that Halle can't help but talk about how perfect his younger sister is.

He knew no one is perfect, and anyone who said they were was deluding themselves. He knew Keisha better than he knew himself, and he knew her imperfections. She's far from perfect in the eyes of other people. But Halle also knew that he'd die debating on how perfect the kid was.

When he was done raving about his younger sister and how she would change the world one day, Beatrice was sitting with a soft smile.

"I can't wait to meet ha."

And now that Halle was finally getting to understand this broken woman before him, the idea didn't scare him so much. "Me neither."

It took a moment for Beatrice to smirk at him. "yoa' lova', you say?"

Halle smiled at her. Beatrice. His lover. She was beautiful. He wasn't sure if she was classically beautiful, but her large liquid brown eyes held such an intelligence and serenity that it was impossible for him not to be held prisoner by them. Her cheekbones weren't especially high and her nose was a little too long to be perfect, but there was an undeniable symmetry to her features and perhaps that's what held Halle so captivated. She wore her long black braids in a bun each day.

And then again, there were scary sides to her beauty. People say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but for Beatrice, that was true of everyone she met. People's eyes held her gaze for a split second longer than others as their brains registered surprise. Strangers gazed at her when they thought she was unaware. Even her professors favored her over the other students. In class, she was popular without even trying. But all this had borne an arrogance into her. Her superiority complex gave her an ugly attitude that she made no attempt to conceal. She became more callous and mean-spirited with each passing year. Some say she was blessed with beauty, Halle knew it was a curse.

But there was more. Beatrice had a scar on her eyebrow and she loved the color red because it reminded her of roses. And she had this old worn notebook that's been around since she was 16 and it's full of all the wonderful things she thinks about and she had the worst laugh ever. The worst laugh but it's so beautiful and Halle fell in love with her and couldn't sleep for a week and...

"Yeah, you're my lover. If that's what you want-oof." Beatrice had tackled him and had gone to kissing his face excitedly.

"Of coozse. Of coozse. Of coozse."

Halle laughed and pulled her off. "Alright. I get it. You're mine and I'm yours. Let's study."

* * *

They studied for two more hours, but toward the end, the two had been just getting to know one another more, which Halle didn't mind in the slightest. He liked sharing his stories with her and her liked receiving hers as a whole.

Beatrice watched him with eyes of shock and admiration as he recounted the tale his silly mother often told him when she was alive.

"And she would look at me and go 'you know you were never supposed to be born, boy.' she said I was unexpected and she went to the clinic to abort me. And she was sitting in her car getting ready to go in and this little old African lady had come over. There were all kinds of people protesting abortion and there were all kinds at the clinic. White, Black, purple…" he trailed with a small laugh. "Human. And my mom said that the lady knocked on her window with so much force and desperation. And she said 'ma'am? Ma'am? Don't abort yo baby, please!'"

He could tell Beatrice couldn't contain her laughter when he mimicked the old woman's voice. But he suspected it. It was a funny story his mother used to tell to get a ride out of him. His mother was an African American woman and she was dirt poor. There's no way she had a car ever. There's no way any of this could have happened. Sure, she was about to abort him, and sure there was an old African lady involved, but that was all the truth to it.

"And my mom was so surprised at first. But she looked at the lady and she grabbed her hairspray from her purse. And she looked like a crazy lady waving it to the window, but she said 'get the fuck away from my car before I spray yo ass!'"

The two students laughed haphazardly at the way Halle flung his arms and screamed. When they called down, Beatrice had somehow layered her head across his lap, savoring the story and wondering what could have been had she had a mother like Halle's. "And what happened then?"

"The lady left quickly. I can't imagine getting sprayed in the eye by a hair product. My mother told me she sat in that car for an hour because suddenly she had a change of heart. To this day, she swears when she looked around, she couldn't find that lady. Not even when she walked away. Not even when she looked in the crowd of people protesting. She could _not_ find that woman."

"Do you think…"

"Yeah, Beatrice. I think she was an angel."

They sat there in comfortable silence for a while. Halle often found himself thinking about his parents and how silly they were. He wondered what Beatrice was thinking of. It had to be her own mother.

When he initially met her, Halle saw Beatrice as someone who was just angry and arrogant. But now, everything had changed. The arrogance was a defense mechanism, a way to defend herself from people she thought would take advantage of her. And the anger? There was no anger. It was fear. Beatrice was scared is all.

Atelophobia; noun; phobia; the fear of not being good enough. And that fear in Beatrice made her someone she wasn't. It made her this cruel person because she often suppressed who she really was; a girl that liked laughing and liked the smallest drops of attention.

Halle sighed and checked the time. It was almost time for Keisha to eat dinner and go to sleep. He stood with a soft smile. "I should probably get going before it gets too late."

With those words, Beatrice snapped out of her day slumber and blinked at him. Then she smiled. "Yeah. My woommate will be ome fwom the libwawy soon."

"You know my trip is coming up in two days. We're all going to Mississippi to see my grandmother. And Johnny and James are coming along." Halle smiled a little as his silly friends popped into his head. "You know how they get when they don't see me in a span of three days."

He expected Beatrice to smile but she didn't. And at first, he thought she would scowl and they'd be right back on square one, pushing each other off and trying to get the most space. But her expression became saddened and fearful and Halle resisted the urge to push over to her and squeeze her until all her broken pieces push back together. "Please be ca'eful the'e, Halle. Please be safe."

Halle could only nod. He didn't want to talk about that. Not what happened in Mississippi 14 years ago. Because if he did say anything about it, he'd have second thoughts about going. He'd think about how carefree Keisha is and how close in personality she is to Emmett Till. And that thought scared him so much that he almost forgot it was 1970 and those things don't happen that much. It's a new kind of era and things are changing. Albeit slowly, but their changing.

So Halle just nodded. "I will. Thank you, Beatrice."

"Bye alle."

* * *

 _Bus_

 _En route to Money, Mississippi_

 _October 22, 1970_

"Sometimes, when I get scared. I close my eyes and think about all the different kinds of candy that I like."

Halle opened his left eye to peek around and upon seeing Keisha smiling up at him, he leaned his head off the window to get a good look at her. She was sitting in the bus seat playing with some ragdoll with red hair, her eyes softer than the dead. He assessed her words and unconsciously placed the back of his palm on her forehead. "Are you feeling okay? Why are you scared?"

Keisha giggled and ducked below his hand to evade his worries. "Ah'm not. But you are."

Halle's brows lowered in confusion. Why would he be scared? When he asked just that, Keisha smiled even bigger. Who knew it would grow that large? His first question must have been said aloud because Keisha smiled up at him as if she knew the world's secret and she only. "Because you are."

"That's doesn't make any sense," he chided.

"Ah know."

Halle only sighed at her silly antics and looked out the window. He had taken this route to Mississippi enough to realize they were nearly there. He wondered if Grandma Lin had made it to the bus stop or if she'd stayed home to wait for them. He hoped she had stayed home; Halle wanted a few minutes of peace without bombarding questions.

"You don't like Mississippi?"

Once more, he looked back at Keisha's inquiring look and smiled softly. "Mississippi is a beautiful state. But it's full of frightening things. I like Mississippi, you know that. We came here all the time when mama and daddy were alive. But…." He didn't know what to say. Not 'it's different now.' Because states don't change. Just the people in them. It's just that Mississippi, Good old Mississippi; the lynching state; doesn't feel so safe without them around.

* * *

 _Small Home_

 _Money, Mississippi_

 _August 31, 1955_

 _Halle could hear them whispering in the kitchen downstairs. Grandma Lin had made him come upstairs and play with his toys that he usually left when they visited from Detroit. But Halle wanted to see daddy before it was time for him to go to bed. Daddy had been gone all day with some of the people that lived in the town and he had just returned. Now him, mommy, and Grandma Lin were downstairs whispering about something. The four-year-old sighed and looked to his door. He could get up and go see them quietly. But if Grandma Lin caught him, he'd be in trouble for 'gettin' in grown folks business.'_

 _The boy grumbled and stood. If he could just open the door a crack and tiptoe to the stairs, they wouldn't hear him. And he could see what they were talking about._

 _When the boy opened his door, he could make out their voices a little more clear. Grandma Lin was talking in a hushed tone to daddy. Halle creeped to the stairs to hear more and frowned at her words._

" _And that's why Ah tells yuh to keep yo boy from this place when he gits older. It's easy for me, boy, and you'se known it. Ah was born with Yaller hair and grey eyes so Ah knowns Ah was gon be white from the moment Ah's started to crawl. But you known how Ah told you yuh daddy was one of the slaves for my own pappy 'fore I was born. And when your sister was born…."_

 _Halle sat at the top of the stairs quietly. He wished he understood what she was saying and what about. All he understood was that her hair was yellow and her eyes were grey. Grandma Lin didn't look like them. Not even her own son, daddy, who was lighter than Halle with odd curly hair and a narrow nose. Grandma Lin was a white woman and Halle never really thought about her being related to her. He called her Grandma Lin because everybody else in their town called her that. But then daddy said that Grandma Lin was his mom and that was how they were related. But he loved her. And she loved him because she told him a lot._

" _And he done raped my baby in dem woods all night. She was only 14, just like this baby Emmett. Law'd have mercy! It took a long time for her to be well. And by dat time, Ah was pregnant with you. Ah couldn't git her to stay here and nowhere else. Law'd knows where yuh sister at right now. She ain't dead, cause ah known it by my heart. She ain't dead, but sometimes, baby, Ah wish she was."_

 _It grew quiet in the kitchen and Halle supposed mommy and daddy were looking at Grandma Lin in surprise. Shock maybe. The boy bit his own lip because maybe they'd caught him and didn't say anything._

" _Ah did," she continued. "Cause Ah known being alive was the hard part. And Ah ran. Without ya daddy and without her. Cause Lawd knows Ah wasn't gonna have no nother nigga baby in Texas. Nu uh. And Ah done the best Ah could with you. But it don't mean a thing. Ah done changed my whole lifestyle, left my life behind to raise you away from bad people. Ah done changed my life, Jamie. But it don't mean a thang when the world don't change wit yuh." It sounded like Grandma Lin was getting really upset. "Fourteen years old. And they done hurt and hanged the baby like that! That's what he was. A baby. Emmett Till was a baby and they done killed him and put him in that river. No matter what Ah am in this world, whether Ah'm a white mother of black babies, Ah ain't gonna die easy. Ah won't knowin' that you keep bringin' Halle to this place to see me."_

 _She was crying now and Halle's eyes watered too. He didn't understand what happened. He didn't understand why she was so sad and why they put the boy in the river, but it hurt. It was sad._

 _Halle bit his lip when his mother spoke in a comforting voice. "Miss Lin, you know you can't go and bother yourself like this."_

 _A hitch of breath. "Ah know that, Minnie. It just hurts. Ah done been alive in this world for 60 years and it didn't change none."_

" _Momma," his father called softly._

" _Have some sympathy fuh yuh momma. Ah'm getting old, but I gotta go easy. Put me down easy, Jamie, Ah'm a cracked plate."_

* * *

Grandma Lin was a white woman, as she was born. She had fallen in love with a former slave and they had gotten married when she was seventeen. Lin always felt she belonged with people who did the right things. His grandmother was a rebel at heart and she was so righteous that it hurt. That's where Halle got it from. The need to help people and the need for the world to change; he got it from his parents and Grandma Lin.

The last time they visited, their parents were alive and Keisha was more so healthy. And now that the world actually is changing, the bad memories come back. Here in this little town, Emmett Till was kidnapped, beat, mutilated, and hanged. And Halle was four and scared and confused because he didn't know that kids could die. And his father was with the men that found Emmett in the river, floating dead.

 _But people die, Keisha, and bad things happen. And the world changes, love. I swear it does, but it's changing too damn slowly._

"But what?" Keisha wondered.

"But sometimes, bad people happen to good places."

"That don't make no sense." Halle looked up in surprise at the call of Johnny's voice. The teen was leaning above their seats smirking down at him. Halle couldn't help but smile back at his friend.

"Of course it makes sense. You're just an idiot." He laughed when Johnny did just so he knew the other didn't take it seriously.

"But really, Halle, Whut that mean? Don't yuh mean bad places happen to good people?"

"No." And Halle didn't want to elaborate either. Because the sign that read 'Welcome to Mississippi; Home of the Blues' had passed them in the bus window, waving them down.

Johnny looked up in sheer excitement. He had never been to Mississippi so that was understandable. "Aw man, we here. Ah may as well wake James up before we miss our stop."

And the man ducked behind the seat. Halle sighed and looked to his sister, who was now staring out the window where the sign used to be. Unconsciously, because everything with Keisha had to do with an unconscious thought, he rested an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. "You alright?"

"Course Ah am, Lee." But now that they're actually here, Halle knows his sister isn't saying it to believe it anymore.

* * *

 _Small Home of Jocelin Turner_

 _Money, Mississippi_

 _October 22, 1970_

Grandma Lin, after 1955, had decided that if the world would never change, then she wouldn't either. Which was why Johnny and James had stayed on the porch getting to know her before she allowed them to step foot in the house.

"Well after Halle's father was born, a lot of things changed." And since she was young, she would never fail in getting to know herself when meeting new people. "Ah done learned a lot. Enough about the world. Ah knew the world was a small speck in the universe of nothin. Ah knew God tore down the world every evening and made a new one by sunrise. Ah known that marriage didn't make love. And Ah known that my first dream was dead, so Ah became a woman."

But her words were so beautifully crafted when she spoke that people didn't care. They didn't care to sit for hours on her porch, their butts becoming raw with wood and chapped in paint. They just wanted to learn about her. Something sweet was inside.

Halle tried to contain himself when he came from the kitchen to find Johnny sitting on the porch with his crossed arms on his knees, looking up as if the stars gave him life. But the stars were Grandma Lin. James was on the other side, leaning against the railing. Grandma's railing that she would often possess over and whoop Halle or Keisha with a stick if they leaned on it. But Grandma Lin hadn't spoken about the past in so long that she had forgotten it was there. She was so engrossed in her stories that she hadn't noticed.

"But you loved them, right?" Johnny smiled. "Like they was your own siblings."

"Course Ah did. Ah knew my daddy and mama was White, but Ah was with dem black chillun so much, Ah didn't know Ah wasn't colored til Ah seen a picture. We all looked at the picture and got pointed out. There wasn't nobody left but this real light little girl with long yellow hair standing by Nellie. That's where Ah was supposed to be." Lin laughed softly. "So Ah asked, 'where is me? Ah don't see me.' Everybody laughed. Nanny pointed to the white one and said 'dat's you, Jocelin, don't you known yo own self?"

James smiled softly.

"Ah looked at the picture a long time and saw it was my hair and dress and said: 'Aw, Aw!' I'm White!' And we all laughed real hard. And Ah just always thought, before Ah seen the picture, Ah was just like the rest. You see, we ain't born learnin about skin, so why we gotta learn about that?"

"Don't make sense," James muttered.

"You right." Lin frowned. "It don't. But American Capitalism makes it that way."

And Johnny laughed. Not because it was funny, but because he had just realized something. "You're just like Halle."

* * *

 _Small home of Jocelin Turner_

 _November 5, 1970_

The terror began two weeks later. Halle's known since he was a child that his story isn't supposed to be good. It's a harsh way to look at life, but it's the only way. Halle learned about death and injustice at just four - the age of innocence. And then he lost his parents, and half of his sister's life and then he found out that his skin color was an abomination. And it never got easier. Not here. Not now.

He can remember sitting beneath the shadow of the tree, with the wind blowing through his hair and clothes. He can remember Keisha in the house laughing with Grandma Lin as the old woman told her a story. He can remember the way the trees spoke to one another as they danced with the wind. And the leaves whispered 'I hope you land where I do' as they flew to the earth. He can remember that the day was good. Johnny had gone out to get James before Grandma Lin began supper. All bad days started this way. The sun came up in dark orange and left in singing purple. But not today. And Halle can remember the way the leaves stopped whispering and the trees stopped dancing and all of a sudden the sky was red.

"Halle! Halle!"

Halle's eyes snapped open. As if he had just woken from a bad dream and not a daydream. He leaned up off the tree and looked toward his grandmother's home. Keisha had come out in confusion, looking down the small dirt path that led to the mailbox and then the world. She and Halle made eye contact and Halle rubbed his eyes.

Lin opened the screen door and stopped up, patting her hands on her wool skirt. "What's all this racket out heya?"

Halle doesn't understand what's happening, but now that Keisha and Grandma are involved and confused and bothered, he's sure the distant cry of his name wasn't just God.

"Halle!"

And it's there again. Grandma Lin's been through enough to know exactly what kind of cry it is. It's not of excitement, but of distress. Not of happiness, but of fear. And she knows exactly what's going to happen when whoever is screaming gets to them. It used to be an eye shattering look in Halle's direction, but now it's to Keisha. And the next words that come make Halle's heart sink in terror.

"Go own in the house now, Keisha. This grown folks business." Keisha falters in fear, looks in the direction of the path, of the world, of the voice - distinctively James' - and shuffles inside like the daylight will catch her.

 _Go'n in the house now, boy._

Growing up and coming to Mississippi every year, there was only one thing that made her say that to him.

Emmett Till. John Henry Remmer. Hugh Smith. Sylvester Maxwell. Allen W. Shelby.

Halle rubs his eyes again, asking God to wake him up. Just kill him now so he can wake up. Because the footsteps are closer now and Grandma Lin is staring determined and without fear, because this has happened before. And Halle can't do this. It's 1970. Christ, it's 1970. And the world hasn't changed.

"Halle!" Closer now and less volume. Either because James stopped by the porch to catch his breath, or because he can see Halle now, standing rubbing at his eyes as if he can't wake up.

James has tears in his eyes and fear in his heart. He takes a moment to speak, but the words don't come out. He catches his breath. This happens for some time before Grandma Lin puts her foot down and grabs both his cheeks like he's a baby.

"Tell me what happened."

And Halle's heart hurts more than anything. Because now James becomes vulnerable. He looks - stares at Lin for a long while before his bottom lip puckers out and his eyes get crinkly and he cries again. Burst out in full sobs that makes God himself look down in sympathy and confusion. _Say it, James. Say it._

"It's…" And there is a long silence before he whispers. "It's Johnny." And then waits and says softly - "They killed.." with difficulty - "him-" and then breaks off. "Hanged."

Grandma Lin understands, and she closes her eyes. Puts her head down. The years have taken all the fight out of her face. And for a while, Halle thought it was gone from her soul. No matter what the world did now, she could say nothing. She had learned to talk some and leave some.

"I'm going to stay here with Keisha. I'm old. Halle…" She doesn't need to finish because Halle is a man now. He knows what he must do. And he can't cry. Not now. Not when he hasn't seen it yet. He grabs hold of friends arms and with difficulty, asks James to lead him to the body. To the strange fruit.

Everything seems so surreal as they walk. And Halle can't help but hold James a little tighter as James moves into the forest. Everything is silent and maybe this is why the world looks a little more beautiful. It always does when bad things happen. They don't get too far from the house before they come to a clearing. James gasps again as if he hasn't seen this. Halle stops too.

 _I see trees of green; Red roses too;_

 _I see them bloom; for me and you._

The Sycamore Tree is a vast tree. The one that Johnny is hanging from is about 75 feet tall in the open forest. There are people standing around its 10-foot radius of dark bark; women, men, some children too; officers getting witness reports when it means nothing. The leaves that are vast and irregular sway softly with the wind. Halle blinks rapidly. How did this happen?

 _I see skies of blue; and clouds of white_

 _The bright blessed day; the dark sacred night_

They determine that Johnny has been dead since sunrise. Halle chokes. If he had just gone with Johnny in the morning on his walk, maybe this wouldn't have happened. Sunrise, when the sky was a deep orange and the leaves had yet to wake up and the trees had to sit there and watch Halle's friend being hanged. Halle can only hope Johnny died soft. Because there are no bruises on his body. No burning of his skin. No blood on the leaves or at the roots. He knows it's not true. And he doesn't want to believe it. He knows damn well that Johnny - who had grown up trying so hard not to be distinguished - was frightened and alone before his final breath.

 _And I think to myself_

 _What a wonderful World_

* * *

 _Detroit, Michigan_

 _September 14, 1979_

The small boy leaned up in bed in curiosity. "And what then, daddy?"

Halle can feel the boy's ragged breathing as he titters dangerously close to the edge and ending. He sighs and bites his lip, crossing his arms as he thinks of his old friend. He thinks of James and where he is right now. He thinks of Keisha and if she's in her dorm now or out with friends. He thinks of how Beatrice had gone back to her home continent. And he won't do it now, but tonight, he's going to think of Johnny and his small smirk, everlasting and as bright as the sky he died beneath.

And he finished. "People die, Bolade. But legends live forever."

The boy smiles softly before he frowns. He's eight and he doesn't understand any of this. He doesn't understand why God took Aunt Keisha's hair. Or how Johnny learned to fly. And he really doesn't understand why Halle always stops just before Beatrice gets a big bump in her stomach and goes back to motherland. But Bolade likes to ask questions anyway because Halle changes the story a lot.

"Daddy...where do people go when they die? When they learn to fly?"

Halle smiled softly and rubbed his son's head. "Well, B. After they fly for half of forever, they begin to fall down wherever they belong. And they land somewhere."

"Where am I going to land?" Bolade whispers with as much hope an eight-year-old can have. It's not common for a child to know about death and asks about it, but B is eight now and he still thinks death is flying. He pulls the covers over both their heads and smiles at Halle in the dark.

"I don't know," he whispers back, rubbing the soft hair of his son before frowning at the boy's saddened face. "But, I hope you fall on soft ground."

Bolade smiled, big and soft, and Halle had never seen a cuter kid. Not even Keisha was this adorable. B's eyes are alight with wonder and his smile is brightening the dark and Halle loves his son more than anything. He thinks about Johnny's words all those years ago when the world meant something.

Maybe he is lucky.

The terror continues the next day, though, and it proves him wrong just like scorching summer heat on a beautiful supposed-to-be good day. It started in 1970 and has been going on for nine long years. Halle doesn't think it'll stop until he's dead. Because it's his fault, isn't it? Had he went with Johnny all those years ago, maybe he wouldn't have died. So Halle's waiting for the terror to end and his time finally comes to him at work.

It's September 15th, Keisha is going to be here this afternoon for the weekend and Bolade is in school. Keisha, who was supposed to lay down and die has been fighting Leukemia for many years and that's weird. Because study says Keish was supposed to die after having it for six months. But she never did. And that's because the worst things are supposed to happen to Halle. Not just bad, but the worst.

God's going to wait until Keisha graduates school. He's going to wait until she gets married and has children before he kills her out of his storybook. And Keisha will just be another name until a flashback arrives to bring up painful memories. That's how it's supposed to happen.

After Johnny was killed and James disappeared in his sorrows and Beatrice left him sinking in the mud and Grandma Lin - who was a cracked plate - gets put down easy, God waits eight long years to kill Halle off. He waits for Halle to fall in love with someone so brokenly beautiful as Beatrice, to understand brotherhood with Johnny and James, raise someone as heavenly as Keisha, and have the chance to know a small thing that's just like him called Bolade. He waits until those things happen until he kills him real slow. Real slow like a muddy sinkhole.

Karma; Noun; The sum of a person's actions in this and previous states of existence, viewed as deciding their fate in future existences; Synonym to 'you reap what you sow, Halle.'

God kills Halle Friedman on September 15, but he doesn't truly die until five days later. Because God probably wants to make it slow and painful like Johnny's. Johnny was without bruises or mutilation like most, but Halle imagined he died real hard. Not only losing his breath every minute, but being afraid of where he would go, being alone, and wondering what he'd done wrong.

The nursing home Halle works in is lovely. It's a skilled job so of course Halle had to do some courses in a community college, but it pays well and Bolade is happy when he gets toys and lots of food. Because he's greedy. Halle laughs to himself as he walks into the nursing home. Bolade is so small, but he is really greedy and most of the money does go on food. His greedy baby.

"-Alle. _Halle._ Mr. Friedman."

The man snaps out of his daydream and flushes at the sight of his supervisor, a plump white woman who's almost like a mother hen to everyone.

"Sorry, Mrs. Manning," he apologizes. "I was just thinking."

Mrs. Manning smiles down at him. "I don't know what about, but clearly it was something good and well off."

B's image pops into his head. The way he jumps on his father's bed and ducks under the covers like the monster is in the air. The way his teeth snap shut and his chin goes up before he smiles really big with his eyes squeezed shut. He looks like an anime character. Truly.

"Halle?"

Halle laughed. "Yeah. Really good."

"How's Bolade doing? He at school right now?" When Halle's cheeks begin to hurt, his supervisor laughs. "I wondered if he was the cause of that smile." And Halle doesn't need to answer. Manning hands him a sheet of paper. "Here's your assignment sheet. Lunch is at three, alright?"

Halle nods. "Thank you, Mrs. Manning." And then they both go their separate ways. That's the last time he speaks to her. For forever, really. Halle sighs and looks at his assignment sheet. He has 12 residents to care for today and they're all his usual. Dementia residents.

The scariest thing about working with older people is the sheer fact the 'you can't teach an old dog new tricks' applies even to the elderly and ill. His residents all range from 70 to 95, one of them just turning 100 yesterday. And in 1979, those are the ages where one can say they've seen it all. The end of slavery, the brutal racism, the Civil Rights Era, and the world changing.

That isn't so bad, but working with elderly people with dementia is an entirely different experience. His residents are downright confused, and they all love him, but it's not uncommon to get a very racist spur from someone here. Or even, a surviving abolitionist that will go on and on about that _one march_ in Washington where they almost lost their lives fighting for someone else's.

But Halle Friedman is Halle Friedman. And he's been righteous since he's learned to speak. He knows how to take shit and he loves a good story every now and then.

The first room is Mrs. Agatha. Her family had migrated to the united states from Ireland when she was just a child. So Agatha didn't understand who to hate or who to love when she came to self-proclaimed great America. Mrs. Agatha was a sweet woman but had been very prone to getting sick recently.

Halle knocked on her door softly and put on gloves before going in. He stares at the spot beside her bed when she looks up, recognizes, and smiles. That's where Halle dies. That spot there.

"Hello!" The woman cries in excitement. And Halle smiles because he knows that most of his residents love him. She won't say his name because she probably forgot it, but she knows his face very well.

"Hi, Agatha. How are you today?"

She frowns a little. "What's your name?"

"My name is Halle," he repeats like a broken record. It's a line he's used to saying various times of day, but he doesn't mind. "I'm going to be your nursing assistant for today."

She smiles as he comes closer. "My name is Agatha." And she looks like she wants to say more, but a nasty cough cuts her off. It's wet and forced and Halle blinks in surprise.

Halle nods. "I know. I'm here to check to see if you're wet, alright. And then we can get you out of bed." He comes closer and gently pulls her covers down. He checks her adult brief with scrutiny before she says more. Pointing at his name tag as if it means something.

"I see on your tag, it says Halle. Can I call you Halle?"

He smiles. "Yes, you can call me Halle."

"And what can you call me? Can you call me Agatha?"

He reassures her again so that she won't get anxious. He won't get mad at her at all. It's not his place and it's uncalled for. Agatha is sick and she's going to die soon and it's not her fault. It's not her fault that she kills him.

"Ms. Agatha, are you ready to go to the dining room?"

She gives him a confused look, but at least it isn't bewildered. "What's happening there?"

"You're going to be watching television before breakfast with your friends."

"Oh. Oh. Okay. Alright." Halle goes down to place some non-skid socks onto her feet. Agatha coughs some more. And grabs her forehead. "Oh dear, I wish this cold would disappear."

"How long have you been sick?" Halle asks.

"What?"

"I said how long have you been sick?" he asks a little louder this time. Agatha sighs in exasperation.

"Oh, I don't know. I just know that it's here and it's hurting."

Halle can't argue with that. So he comes up to the head of the bed. And standing there, carrying the world in his hands, and it burdens on his back, Halle's loses his life. His fate is sealed when he bends down to fix her pillow. There was a sudden intake of air, and the sneeze that Agatha let out in his face was as violent and hacked as her lonely cough.

Halle could feel the mucus on his face and the man yanked back suddenly to remove the gloves and wipe his face. It's disgusting and he just knows he'll be sick by next week.

Agatha moans in pain in the background. "Oh. I'm so sorry, dear."

Halle tells her it's okay. Because he really doesn't feel any different. He really doesn't feel like he's dead now, so he continues on. Getting her ready and getting through the day.

* * *

After clocking out, Halle felt tired enough to sigh really loudly as he walked in the door. Keisha would have gotten back from campus by now, and she would have picked Bolade up already.

The soft patter of feet made him straighten out a little more. He didn't want his son to see that work had busted him up enough to put a crook in his back and a strain on his life. He wanted to look lively and strong. Bolade peeked into the room cautiously and when he saw his father's smiling face, the boy nearly gasped and then smiled big at him.

"Hi, daddy," he murmured almost shy. "Aunt Keisha came to pick me up today. So sorry if you was late."

"Were," the man corrected, coming in further to swoop his son upon his shoulders.

"That's what I said."

Halle laughed. For the living and the dead, he let loose. He died today even if he didn't know it. But, whether Halle was to drop dead now or in 90 years, Halle would never for a moment stop enjoying this drop of moonlight in his arms. There are plenty of drops of sunlight in his life. But Bolade King Mohammed is the light that gathers him in the harshest hours of the night. God couldn't take this away from him. Not now, not ever.

"What did you do in school today?"

"Nothing. But I almost punched this boy 'cause he tried to take all my lunch. And he called me a nigga? What's that daddy? What's a nigga?" And the boy said it in the vilest way as if he knew it was derogatory. As if he knew this was the word whispered to Johnny before he was hanged.

Halle's face contorted into fear. There are years of a child's life that are questions and the years that came later were the answers. But Halle is Halle and when Bolade asked a question like that, he would get the answer right away. The man stopped just short of the kitchen door and put the boy down. He rubbed his son's afro harshly. "I don't want you saying that, you understand?"

Bolade grimaced under the calloused limb and shook, prying his father's strength off only by a micrometer. "I didn't mean nothin' by it. I was just askin'."

"Nothing," Halle scolded. " _Asking."_

"Nothing. Asking."

"You want to know where that word comes from?" Bolade nodded, standing attentively like a foot soldier and Halle sees that he's almost ready to crack like a twig. "It comes from the word Negus."

Bolade's eyes squinted. "Nee-guz?"

"Negus. It's a noun. Historical. Meaning the supreme ruler of Ethiopia. Synonym to King."

Bolade gasped. "Like my middle name?"

"Like your middle name."

Bolade smiled and turned toward the kitchen, walking in with a smugness to his walk. Sometimes, there was the memory of Beatrice that walked beside her son. Keisha was at the table eating and Halle's eyes narrowed mischievously. She was still healthy looking at least. When she turned 16, Keisha's hair started to grow out again, but Keisha had already grown to accept who she was, especially after losing Johnny. So her hair was always cut very low to her head. But she was beautiful. On the inside and out, and if she was happy with herself, then so was Halle.

"Aunt Keisha, guess what?"

"What?"

"My middle name is Negus."

She snorted. "Yo middle is derived from Negus, dork. Your middle name is King."

Bolade laughed at the insult and Keisha smiled up at her brother. "Hey, Huey."

At the constant play on words of his name, which had consequence to his similar attitude to Huey P. Newton. "What'd I tell you about coming in here and eating up all the food. Every time I come in here, you're eating up all the cereal. All the cornbread. All the collard greens."

Keisha only laughed. "Ah ain't have nothin' eat for the three-hour drive here. Jesus, Halle, you ain't seen me since July. Can Ah git some hospitality from my own brother?" Halle sighed and slumped in the chair across from her, trying not to groan when Bolade jumped up on his lap like a pouncing tiger. Keisha looked in sympathy. "Rough day at work?"

"Not rough. Just exhausting." He didn't want to elaborate. What kind of example would he be setting if his son realized the working full time had busted him up like this?

Bolade slumped onto the table in his father's lap. "Me too. You know I had to rescue a desert princess from a giant monster."

"Really?" Halle smirked.

"Uh huh. And the monster didn't know how to box. His powers were saying mean things. And the only way I beat him was by stuffing clouds in my ear so I wouldn't hear him. The clouds were so big and fluffy that a whole town lived on top of them. And the people were so tiny that they had to ride raindrops down to us."

Keisha and Halle watched the boy for a moment before Halle laughed softly. "Are you serious?"

Bolade smiled big. "Yeah, and they would…." It was nice to listen to his son in this moment of the hour. With his sister here. It was just nice.

* * *

 _Detroit, Michigan_

 _September 16, 1979_

When Halle woke up, the next morning, his throat hurt. It was harsh and sore like dry ice that cracked his lips. The man groaned, almost happy that it was Saturday. Now, he didn't need to worry about going to work with a sore throat and pulsing headache.

After lying quietly for a few minutes, Halle blinked awake, the blurriness leaving his mind. It was quiet. Too quiet. The man groaned and tried lifting his head only to groan more and lay back down. His headache felt like he'd just been run over by a full speed truck.

Something shifted next to him and the man tensed. "Bolade?"

The boy next to him said nothing, as he was sleeping, only shifted a little closer to his father.

A soft knock on the door made Halle hum. He couldn't lift his head and his throat hurt too badly to even speak. Keisha came in with a steaming bowl in her hands. She smiled at her older brother. "How you feelin,' Halle?"

The man's head turned in confusion when she came up and placed a hand on his forehead. "You don't remember? You got pretty sick in the middle of the night. Ah reckon it's the flu that's hurtin ya. Cause you sure do gotta fever." Halle groaned and Keisha sighed. "Here, you have to drink this soup." Keisha sat on the bed and managed to gather enough soup on the spoon and hold it toward his mouth. Halle resisted the urge to puke. He opened his mouth and intook the liquid. After a while, he grimaced. It hurt to swallow.

"You can stop pretendin' to be sleep now, Bolade."

Halle blinked in confusion when his son got up slowly and sat there to stare at his father.

He pushed the spoon away and looked at his son. "Why were…" God. It hurt. It hurt so bad. He couldn't even finish the sentence. But clearly, Bolade understood.

"Cause I knew you was gone tell me to leave so I wouldn't get sick too."

Keisha pushed the spoon forward again, but Halle pushed away. He didn't want to eat. He stared at Bolade before muttering, real soft "Because. Were. Going to."

Keisha rolled her eyes at that. "Even when you sick, you still manage to be correct, Huey. You gotta eat this soup."

"No," he whispered. "Hurts."

Keisha sighed and leaned forward to set the bowl aside. "Well, Ah'm gone sit it here cause it's still scorching hot. But you have to eat it later."

The soup is going to sit there, even after September 20th, because Halle could never have found the strength to eat it.

* * *

 _September 18, 1979_

 _Two days left_

By Monday, it got bad. Halle just knows it. It had to. It got so bad that Keisha didn't go back to she called off work for him. That Bolade didn't go to school. Keisha was in the living room right now, calling a doctor because 'You can't keep livin' like this, Halle. You ain't gettin no better. You just ain't.'

Halle groaned in pain. His head felt as if someone had shaken it until his brain was thoroughly bruised. Shooting pains stabbed chaotically through his muscles and there was a ringing in his ears. Gingerly, he reached over for the ice-water his son had left for him but recoiled at its coldness. It was freezing. Like a dead body, it was freezing. He licked at his parched and cracked lips feeling the thickness of his own saliva. His stomach had settled, but likely that was because he hadn't eaten a bite in over thirty hours, not since the vomiting.

September wind creaked again the window, making it slap the glass. Halle Friedman suddenly felt cold again and pulled the blankets in closer about his neck. He shivered in the heat.

By now, even without that doctor coming in, Halle knew full well this wasn't just the flu anymore. Not with his blue fingertips and his wet cough. But still, whatever it is, Halle prays to Allah that he lets him get through this. _Please let me get through this._

But Halle knows, with the way his life was spent. The greatest trick God ever pulled was convincing the world he was the good guy.

* * *

 _September 19, 1979_

Halle spent the day in bed with Bolade. It was a heavy request. But after his sheets were changed and Keisha put a mask over Halle's face, Bolade was allowed to just lay beside his father.

And the boy went on and one about his journey to the edge of the earth.

"After the tiger was finally defeated, I ventured further into the jungle. It took countless days. I grew sick and weary, disillusioned." Halle couldn't help but smile weakly at his son's use of the big word. "Would I ever find the dragon's milk, I asked myself. But just as I had started to feel an ache in my bones and chest, I saw it. It was there. The honey of life."

Bolade lifted the spoon of cough syrup mixed with honey. "It was beautiful. For months, I had been on my journey and never once did the sun peek into the jungle down at me. Not once did the sun ask how my travels were going. But here, the sun shined on the honey to protect it. Just as I reached for the masterpiece, a giant monster came forth. He swiped at me, but I was able to move just so that he only scratched my fingers. They turned blue instantly." Halle laughed softly when Bolade's soft brown eyes went to his father's blue fingernails. "I grabbed my boxing gloves out and I yelled 'tell me, monster! What is your name!' And he said 'my name is germy. And I will never let a sick person lay a hand on this _cloth_ syrup.'

So we fought. It was hard because for days I had been sick. But in the end, the great monster Germy was defeated. And I grabbed the cough- I mean cloth - syrup."

He lifted the spoon toward his father's mouth and Halle took the cough syrup willingly. "Instantly, my fingers were normal. My head stopped hurting. My muscles were strong. I was cured! And so I brought back the syrup to other villages, towns, countries, and continents. In the forest of Sickness, you heal instantly when you drink the syrup. Outside of the forest, you heal after a day. But fear not, Halle the great. By tomorrow, you'll be saved and you can protect the city of Detroit once again."

Halle laughed softly even with the voice in his head saying ' _Liar.'_

He can't help but admire this boy. And for no reason, his eyes tear up and he brings the boy close. Putting his masked lips in the boy's hair. "I love you, King."

He held him there for a long time, but Bolade didn't complain once. When he finally let go, the boy watched in confusion. This was Bolade. The eight-year-old that was innocent to the core, but when things were serious, he was like his father. He stared at his father for a long time as if to say _don't. Don't say bye like this._

"What was that for?" He questioned.

"Just because."

The smile's back. "Oh. Okay. I love you too, then."

"Hm."

* * *

 _September 20, 1979_

He died in his sleep, on a night that was so quiet that no one sleeping in the house could hear the struggle of his heart and mind as they wrestled death. Not even him.

Keisha was sitting at the table, watching the stove. Suddenly, she turned to her nephew. "Go tell your daddy that breakfast is almost ready."

At the chance to see his father, Bolade dropped his crayon on the table and stood with enough force to make his wooden chair crack the floor. "Okay!" he declared in sheer excitement. "I'm going to show him my picture too."

When Bolade stepped into the room, he smiled at his father's sleeping face. "Daddy. Aunty Keisha said the food is almost done. Here, I wanted to show you this." He climbed up on the bed and tapped his father's forehead gently. "Daddy, wake up." The man didn't budge. Didn't even move or shuffle or groan. "Daddy," he sang out gently. Still nothing. Bolade sighed and shook his father's shoulder a little more roughly.

Still nothing. The boy frowned. His father's shoulder was freezing. It was so cold. It reminded Bolade of the time he fought that snow caterpillar in the north pole. _I love you, King._ The sheer memory of those words was enough to stop Bolade from thinking about adventure.

His head tilted to the side and he pouted as his brown eyes narrowed.

"Daddy?"

 _Cry, B. For the living and the dead. Just cry._

 _-Sasuke to Bolade, 2004_

* * *

 **Next chapter, we see the harshness of Bolade's life, him meeting some of the most significant people to him, and even how he and Sasuke became such great friends.**

 **This chapter is titled Casper. It's a term for powdered cocaine, but I'll tell you why I titled this chapter Casper. That's because death is so significant here. Since the beginning, death took over this chapter. From Halle's parents' deaths all the way to his own, death was a recurring factor in this chapter that could not be ignored. This is also called Casper because everyone here, besides Bolade and Beatrice, are dead and gone.**

 **At some point, Keisha and James did follow Halle and Johnny into death. The characters that we got to understand are gone, ghosts of the past. Like Halle said, forgotten until the flashbacks come. That was a bit of fourth-wall breaking on my part. I don't want to go too much into this chapter because it still kind of hurts to write this, so I'll just end it here. Next chapter is going to be long. And dear god, it's going to hurt worse than this one.**

 **One thing, however. The quote by Bolade at the beginning does foreshadow that Bolade will eventually write a book about his life. That quote was his dedication page. :)**

 **Thank you for sticking with me here. I really love writing for you guys. :) Review if you can. I don't mind. And get ready for B's life in the next chapter featuring a very young Naruto. :)**


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